After the last eruptive process of 2019, the Ubinas volcano, the most active in Peru, began a new eruptive process, emitting an ash column, Civil Defense (Indeci) reported this Friday.

In previous broadcasts, the ash from the volcano has reached neighboring Bolivia.

“The first ash emissions were recorded in the Ubinas volcano (Moquegua), which reached a height of about 1 km above the volcano’s summit and spread eastward, triggering the beginning of a new eruption process,” indicated a statement from Indeci.

“This observed activity could trigger volcanic explosions with ash emissions over 2 km in the coming days, which would affect populated centers in the Ubinas Valley,” he added.

At an elevation of 5,672 meters, the Ubinas Volcano is located in the Moquegua region, 1,250 km south of Lima.

If activity increases, about 1,700 people could be evacuated. The regional government of Moquegua banned climbing the volcano.

“We are carefully observing the evolution of the volcano’s new eruption process. We do not exclude the possibility that new higher volume ash emissions will occur in the coming hours or days,” said Marco Rivera, IGP researcher.

The Ubinas, along with the Sabancaya (5,975 elevation) in the Arequipa region, are the most active volcanoes in Peru.