Australia suspends flights due to Chile volcanic ash

[News_Editor]

Australia suspends flights due to Chile volcanic ash

2011-06-12 23:11:06 GMT+7 (ICT)

SYDNEY (BNO NEWS) -- Tens of thousands of travelers have been left stranded in Australia after airlines cancelled flights to Melbourne, Tasmania and New Zealand due to volcanic ash spreading from an eruption in Chile.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Qantas airline was the first to act, stopping 22 flights affecting about 1500 passengers. Virgin, Jetstar, Tiger and Emirates also restricted their flights around the region, leaving thousands of passengers grounded and unable to learn when they could travel. It is estimated 25,000 people have now been forced to change plans.

"We always put safety before schedule. We have decided that we don't believe it's safe to fly. If you get ash cloud in your engines it can seize your engines up," Emma Kearns, a spokeswoman for Qantas, said.

Air New Zealand chose to fly at a lower altitude, but a spokeswoman for the company said the airline was continuing to monitor the situation in consultation with aviation and meteorology authorities.

The ash cloud from the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle volcano spread across the southern hemisphere yesterday, with New Zealand and Argentina the worst affected.

So far, the volcanic ash has affected Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. Many flights have been suspended in these nations as well.

Last Saturday, the Puyehue volcano erupted in southeastern Chile prompting the evacuation of more than 3,000 residents. At one point, seismologists detected an average of 230 earthquakes per hour, 12 of which had a magnitude of more than 4.0 on the Richter scale.

The Chilean National Service of Geology and Mining (SERNAGEOMIN) said the plumes have reached a height of approximately 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). Residents in the surrounding region, including cities and towns across the border in Argentina, reported ash falling.

The last time the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle vents erupted was on May 24, 1960, 38 hours after a massive 9.5-magnitude earthquake struck off Chile. The country is also on the so-called 'Pacific Ring of Fire', an arc of fault lines circling the Pacific Basin that is prone to frequent and large earthquakes.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-06-12