South America

Chile: Chaiten Volcano Eruption Causes Evacuations, Flight Cancellations

Date: May 8th, 2008 |

The long-dormant Chaiten volcano spewed lava and blasted ash some 20 miles high May 6, forcing the total evacuation of the provincial capital of Chaiten, six miles from the volcano, and causing most of the residents to evacuate the border town of Futaleufu, 75 miles east of Chaiten. More than 4,000 people had fled [read more]

Bolivia: “Highway of Death” Claims More Victims

Date: May 1st, 2008 |

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Bolivia’s “Highway of Death” claimed its second tourist in a week April 24 when an SUV carrying 12 passengers hit a group of cyclists and then careered off the road and tumbled 100 feet down an embankment. A British cyclist and eight passengers in the vehicle were killed. The cyclists, who had just started their [read more]

Argentina: Bushfire Smoke Plagues Buenos Aires

Date: April 23rd, 2008 |

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Smoke from illegal bush fires blamed on farmers clearing land near Buenos Aires covered the capital for more than a week before winds pushed it away from the city. The pall caused air traffic controllers to cancel landings at Buenos Aires airports and police to close major highways because of poor visibility. The smoke drifted [read more]

Peru: Plane Crash at Nazca Lines Prompts Call for Safety Measures

Date: April 17th, 2008 |

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Five French tourists died in a small plane crash en route to view the famed Nazca Lines April 10 when the pilot tried to return to the air strip shortly after takeoff. The accident prompted officials to seek tougher safety measures in the area where critics say supervision is lax for the 40 or so [read more]

Brazil: Dengue Fever Crisis in Rio de Janeiro

Date: March 26th, 2008 |

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Some 33,000 people have contracted dengue fever and 48 have died in Rio de Janeiro state this year in what appears to be an epidemic of the disease. Already more people have died this year than in all of 2002, the last year Rio had a dengue epidemic, and the vast majority have been in [read more]

Argentina: Farmers May Block Roads Again

Date: May 1st, 2008 |

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For three weeks in March irate farmers blockaded roads and cut off meat and grain supplies to supermarkets in major cities, including Buenos Aires, but called off their protests when the government agreed to negotiate with them over the tax increase that spawned the protests. Little progress has been made and farmers vowed to set [read more]

Brazil: Government to Require Special Permits to Visit the Amazon

Date: May 1st, 2008 |

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The government intends to send Congress a bill within months that will require all foreign visitors to the Brazilian Amazon to obtain a permit to be there or face a whopping fine of 100,000 reals ($60,000). The bill will apply to all foreigners, whether tourists, businesspeople or employees of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Conservative politicians are [read more]

Bolivia: “Highway of Death” Claims U.S. Mountain Biker

Date: April 23rd, 2008 |

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The North Yungas Road leading from La Paz to Coroico in the Amazon basin has been called “the most dangerous road in the world” and the “highway of death” because of its precipitous drop from the highlands to the Amazon jungle hugging cliffs for most of its 40-mile descent. But for all its danger, which [read more]

Argentina: Farmers Suspend Road Blockades for 30 Days

Date: April 2nd, 2008 |

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Farmers suspended a three-week-long protest that has created food shortages around the country, keeping meat and grain from reaching supermarkets and prompting demonstrations of support in Buenos Aires and other cities. The original protest began March 11 when the government imposed a 44 percent export tax on their crops. The farmers suspended the protests March [read more]

Bolivia: Yellow Fever Vaccinations Required

Date: March 20th, 2008 |

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The U.S. Embassy in La Paz reported March 14 that airlines flying to Bolivia have recently been refusing to accept passengers who do not have valid yellow fever vaccinations. Because of recent heavy rains the government has decreed that arriving travelers must be vaccinated for the disease. The Embassy said it is seeking further clarification [read more]