A Red Alert has been declared in southern Chile after an eruption at Villarrica Volcano.

Thousands of residents in the area have been evacuated for their safety.

Villarrica is one of Chile's most active volcanoes, and had been showing signs of activity since the start of February, leading to close observation of the volcano in the event that a eruption occurred. It finally erupted on 3 March 2015, sending ash and lava up into the sky in a display which was reportedly seen as far as 100 km away.

Over two thousand people were evacuated from Pucon, and another thousand from Panguipulli, two communes close to the volcano.

While no one has been harmed in the eruption, the situation will continue to be monitored for any further eruption. The ash from the volcano could also pose a hazard to health. Meteorologists currently expect the ash cloud to be blown south and across remote parts of Argentina.