The Press Association reports that Nevado del Huila, Colombia, is in eruption:

Colombian authorities have declared a ‘red alert’ after the Nevado del Huila volcano began erupting, shooting out hot ashes. Hundreds of being people are being evacuated. The Colombian Institute of Geology and Mining said that the volcano ‘was in the process of eruption’. There have been no reports of damage so far.

INGEOMINAS Observatorio Popoyán reports that the eruption began at 23:08 local time 14 April (04:08 GMT 15 April) and is continuing. An alert level of red has been declared, and a large-scale evacuation is under way. Terra España reports:

The director of the Oficina de Atención y Prevención de Emergencias, Luz Amanda Pulido, told Radio Caracol that the maximum alert level means the evacuation of the populations of Belalcázar and neighbouring areas of the municipalities of La Plata, Paicol, Tesalia and Nátaga, in Huila department.

Martha Calvache of INGEOMINAS is quoted in Argentina’s La Nacion newspaper as saying that the scale of the eruption is so far unclear, but that the authorities felt it necessary take all preventive measures: ‘The elements that may emerge are in the first case certainly ash, but we do not know if it has formed a column or not. There may be other material such as lava, but at the moment we do not know the exact situation’.

Information
Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program – summary information for Nevado del Huila (1501-05=)
Portal Corporativo de INGEOMINAS – main page for the Instituto Colombiano de Geología y Minería
INGEOMINAS Popayán – main page for the Observatorio Popoyán, which monitors Nevado del Huila

News
Hundreds flee as volcano erupts – Press Association, 15 April 2008
Autoridades declaran alerta roja por erupción volcán Nevado del Huila – Terra España, 15 April 2008 (Spanish)
Colombia: declaran alerta roja por la erupción de un volcán – La Nacion, Argentina, 15 April 2008 (Spanish)
Entra en erupción volcán colombiano Nevado del Huila – Milenio.com, Mexico, 15 April 2008 (Spanish)
Colombian volcano erupts in shower of hot ash – International Herald Tribune, 15 April 2008
Colombia volcano forces mass evacuations – CBSNews.com, 15 April 2008