A fresh blanket of snow covers Colombia's Nevado del Huila volcano after an earlier crown was melted by an eruption last year.
Thousands of people fled their homes in western Colombia as Nevado del Huila volcano erupted with a shower of hot ash that fell on nearby houses and farms.
Hundreds in the village of Belalcazar on the Rio Paez rushed to high ground amid fears the eruption could melt the volcano’s snowcap and send a flow of water and mud cascading down its slopes.
Eruptions of Nevado del Huila last year were its first on record since the mid-16th century.
Heat from that eruption caused the crown of ice and snow on the volcano to melt rapidly.
The resulting flash floods and mudslides swept away houses and bridges, and submerged large tracts of farmland.
Nevado del Huila is Colombia's third-highest peak at 18,484 feet (5,634 metres). It is located 170 miles (270 km) southwest of Bogota.
Photo: National Parks of Colombia
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