May 08, 2015 Issue

Puerto Varas, Chile—A cascade of lightning rends the night sky after the Calbuco volcano erupts on April 23. The volcano, which had been dormant for nearly 50 years, erupted twice in as many days, sending villagers scrambling for shelter as clouds of volcanic ash rained down. Around 400 soldiers were dispatched to the region to help, but there were no reports of deaths. However, the rainy season threatens to worsen the situation with mudslides and flooding. The head of the National Mining and Geology Service also warned that a third eruption was possible in the coming weeks.