SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Hundreds of people fled remote villages in southern Chile on Friday after a snowcapped volcano erupted, sending minor earthquakes rippling through the region.

The Chaiten volcano belched fire and ash on Thursday night, causing more than 60 small tremors in Los Lagos, a region about 750 miles (1,200 kilometers) south of the capital of Santiago.

More tremors can be expected in the coming days, warned Emergency Bureau Director Carmen Fernandez.

The government evacuated as many as 1,500 people from nearby villages and the town of Chaiten, just 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) from the volcano, as ash rained down on homes and local water supplies. Officials distributed fresh water and more than 10,000 protective masks, Fernandez and Interior Minister Edmundo Perez said.

Winds also carried ash over the Andes to Argentina, where school was suspended in the popular Patagonian tourist towns of Esquel and Trevelin. Authorities there also declared a state of alert on major highways as falling ash reduced visibility, and hospitals reported an patients complaining of eye irritation.

In this photo released by Intendencia Regional de Los Lagos, a large column of smoke and ashes comes out from the Chaiten volcano after it erupted Thursday night, causing 60 minor tremors in the Los Lagos region, 1,200 kms (750 miles) south of Santiago, Friday, May 2, 2008. Chilean government declared a state of emergency early Friday, evacuating about 250 people from the Pacific towns of Blanco and Chana, closing schools throughout the region and urging other residents to stay inside. (AP Photo/Christian Brown, Intendencia Regional de los Lagos )

In this photo released by Intendencia Regional de Los Lagos; Residents wear masks to protect themselves from volcano ashes in Chaiten, Chile, Friday, May 2, 2008. Chilean authorities evacuated hundreds of people from remote villages in southern Chile on Friday after the Chaiten volcano erupted, sending minor earthquakes rippling through the region.(AP Photo/Christian Brown/Intendencia Regional de los Lagos )

In this photo released by Intendencia Regional de Los Lagos, a large column of smoke and ashes comes out from the Chaiten volcano after it erupted Thursday night, causing 60 minor tremors in the Los Lagos region, 1,200 kms (750 miles) south of Santiago, Friday, May 2, 2008. Chilean government declared a state of emergency early Friday, evacuating about 250 people from the Pacific towns of Blanco and Chana, closing schools throughout the region and urging other residents to stay inside. (AP Photo/Christian Brown, Intendencia Regional de los Lagos )

A large column of smoke and ashes comes out from the Chaiten volcano as seen from the town of Castro, 1,200 kms (750 miles) south of Santiago, Friday, May 2, 2008. The Chilean government declared a state of emergency early Friday, evacuating about 250 people from the Pacific towns of Blanco and Chana, closing schools throughout the region and urging other residents to stay inside. (AP Photo/Alvaro Vidal)

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