Some airline flights to and from New Zealand were cancelled on Sunday over the spread of an ash cloud from an erupting volcano in southern Chile.
Australian airline Qantas said it had cancelled 22 flights to and from New Zealand and the Australian island state of Tasmania, and also eight flights within New Zealand’s South Island as ash from the volcano was spreading across the region.
The Puyehue-Cordon-Caulle volcano has been erupting for more than a week now, with ash particles drifting eastwards towards Asia.
Chile contains a large number of volcanoes but they are not as active as the volcanoes in the western Pacific.
The most recent large eruption occurred at Chaiten volcano in southern Chile in May 2008.
MOSCOW, June 12 (RIA Novosti0