Chile's Calbuco volcano erupts for a third time

Chilean volcano Calbuco has erupted for the third time in eight days, sending a new cloud of ash and gas high into the sky.

Officials said the latest eruption, which sent ash 4km into the sky, was less powerful than those last week. Calbuco erupted for the first time in more than 50 years on the evening of April 22 - and then subsequently erupted again several hours later.

The volcano spewed more than 200 million tonnes of ash last week, coating nearby towns, wrecking parts of the salmon industry and forcing the cancellation of flights as far as Buenos Aires 1,400km away.

Calbuco has been quiet this week, but geological officials had warned it was still unstable and could erupt again. 

Officials set up a 20km evacuation radius around the volcano following the latest eruption.

President Michelle Bachelet, speaking in Arica city in the country's north, said 6,514 people had been evacuated and that the government would continue to do all it could to keep residents safe.