Alert over Colombia volcano affects tourism

Owners of hostels, bars and restaurant in the vicinity of the Colombian Nevado del Ruiz Volcano, say they have experienced heavy losses, after the government started evacuations amid an orange alert. Despite the volcano not having erupted, volcanic ash and seismic activity has been reported as increasing in recent weeks.

The alert indicates that an eruption is “probable” but not “imminent.”Last week, Colombian officials began to evacuate 40 families from their homes after the volcano showed high levels of seismic activity.They aim to evacuate as many as 2,500 families from the area.Dozens of towns are located along rivers that originate near the top of Nevado del Ruiz.