Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcanic eruption heats Nilahue River- leads to death of 4.3 million fish

June 11, 2011 – CHILE – Standing on the bank, three residents of a small Chilean village watch as steam hauntingly rises from the local river. With one using his camera to capture the spectacle, the grey-coloured water flows past, laced with stones and ash from the nearby volcano. And the steam that hangs above the Nilahue River is caused by rocks spewing from the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcanic eruption in the Andes of eastern Chillie. The usually chilly river temperature of six degrees has been raised to an average of around 45 degrees by the eruption. The huge surge in temperature has caused more than 4.3 million fish to die since it began last Saturday. The eruption also forced the evacuation of 3,500 people from around the site, while a ten kilometre exclusion zone was also set up. –Mail UK

(c) Al Jazeera 2011           contribution Luisport