Southern Chile’s Calbuco volcano has erupted for the first time in more than four decades, sending a thick plume of ash and smoke several kilometres into the sky, local television images showed.

Chile’s Onemi emergency office declared a red alert following the eruption, which occurred about 1,000km south of the capital Santiago near the tourist town of Puerto Varas.

The area is sparsely populated, with only a few small communities.

– Al Jazeera, NY Post