The Llaima volcano in Chile, located a little south of Santiago, erupted earlier today, forcing over one hundred people to evacuate:

The volcano last had a major eruption in 1994 and is said to be one of the country’s most active, with frequent, but moderate eruptions.

The people evacuated were visiting the Conguillio National Park where the volcano is located, said Carmen Fernandez, the director of Chile’s National Emergency Office.

“An eruption occurred at the Llaima volcano, with a column of smoke of approximately 3,000 metres (9,800ft) at 1800 (2100 GMT). It is rising rapidly; there have been emissions of ash,” she said.

“We don’t know what the volcano will do next,” she said, adding all nearby villages and towns have been put on alert for possible evacuations.

This is just like what happened after our great-uncle ate that third helping of tamales on Christmas Eve, only with a little less screaming and fainting.

Chile volcano forces evacuations [BBC]