Its principles Colombia draw up a plan evacuation of communities located within a radius of 15 kilometers around the volcano Nevada del Ruizwhich scientists believe may explode soon.

Last week the government raised the alert level to orange due to increased seismic activity indicating an increased possibility of the volcano erupting in the near future.

“We support the decision of local committees to evacuate some residents,” said Luis Fernando Velasco, acting director of UNGRD (the national disaster risk management agency), after a meeting with regional officials on Monday. “It is possible that in the coming days it will be deemed appropriate to evacuate more residents,” he added.

The evacuation operation is of a preventive nature, Velasco emphasized, explaining that communication with the specific communities will be difficult in the event of an eruption of the volcano.

According to the evacuation plan, 40 families will be initially removed from communities in the province of Kalda, while the removal of another 500 families is being considered. Removal of children is mandatory if parents choose not to comply with the evacuation order, Velasco stressed.

Nevado del Ruiz is a stratovolcano located between the provinces of Tolima and Caldas, in central Colombia. The eruption of the volcano in 1985 was the worst natural disaster in the country’s history, killing more than 25,000 people.