Was the Chilean volcano eruption so incredible it attracted a UFO? Mysterious white light seen hovering beside giant ash cloud that grounded flights 

  • Calbuco volcano in southern Chile - which has been dormant for 40 years - erupted without warning on Wednesday  
  • A second terrifying eruption yesterday has now forced over 4,000 to flee in aftermath of the 'apocalypse-like' event
  • Footage of the eruption has revealed a strange pair of white lights floating perilously close to the ash cloud

By Hannah Parry For Mailonline

Published: 07:43 EST, 24 April 2015 | Updated: 20:31 EST, 24 April 2015

Incredible footage has emerged of a mysterious pair of white lights seen hovering perilously close to to the Chilean volcano eruption.

Volcano Calbuco, which has laid dormant for more than 40 years, suddenly erupted on Wednesday causing a thick plume of ash to cloud the sky while thousands of people living in its shadow were forced to flee the 'apocalypse-like' event. 

Hundreds filmed the eruption, near the southern port city of Puerto Montt, Chile, and its deadly ash cloud which caused all nearby flights to be grounded for safety. 

But one amateur cameraman was surprised to see what appeared to be white lights close to the enormous plume of ash and smoke rising from the mouth of the volcano. 

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Mysterious white lights have been spotted hovering near Chile's erupting Calbuco volcano on Wednesday

Mysterious white lights have been spotted hovering near Chile's erupting Calbuco volcano on Wednesday

A pair of strange glowing white lights were filmed floating perilously close to the smoke and gas clouds from the eruption 

A pair of strange glowing white lights were filmed floating perilously close to the smoke and gas clouds from the eruption 

The pictures have since gone viral with internet user suggesting the lights were either police helicopters, an optical illusion or an alien aircraft 

The pictures have since gone viral with internet user suggesting the lights were either police helicopters, an optical illusion or an alien aircraft 

The footage shows the unexplained pair of lights floating dangerous close to erupting volcano before disappearing.

Tens of thousands of people have speculated on what the UFO could be, suggesting everything from police or emergence services helicopters, to a kind of optical illusion or even an alien craft.

One YouTube user, Perkoff, believed it was time travelers. He wrote: 'Most UFOs are not aliens like a lot of people think. They are in fact time machines from the future. The reason you see so many UFOs at historic events is because people from the future want to come back in time and witness history. A lot of these UFOs are filled with students and are just going on a futuristic version of a field trip.'

Bud Ekins wrote: 'It wants to be filmed! Drones and planes don't disappear like that.'

Others argues it was something a little more mundane.

One YouTube user wrote: 'For me, chances are it's a drone.' 

While Francisco Javier Segurasaid: 'It's a airplane, come on!

Up in smoke: Volcano Calbuco, in southern Chile, has erupted forcing 1,500 residents from Ensenada, about 10 miles away, to flee their homes (pictured, a view of the eruption from Puerto Montt, a small city around 20 miles from the volcano)

Up in smoke: Volcano Calbuco, in southern Chile, has erupted forcing 1,500 residents from Ensenada, about 10 miles away, to flee their homes (pictured, a view of the eruption from Puerto Montt, a small city around 20 miles from the volcano)

Smoke and lava can be seen spewing from the Calbuco volcano in this picture taken from the shores of Lake Llanquihue in Puerto Varas

Smoke and lava can be seen spewing from the Calbuco volcano in this picture taken from the shores of Lake Llanquihue in Puerto Varas

An electrical storm lights up the night sky as a huge column of ash and lava shoots out of the volcano. The eruption sparked a red alert in the port city of Puerto Montt

An electrical storm lights up the night sky as a huge column of ash and lava shoots out of the volcano. The eruption sparked a red alert in the port city of Puerto Montt

Volcano Calbuco, believed to be among the three most dangerous of Chile's 90 active volcanoes, had erupted for the first time at 6pm local time on Wednesday.

An estimated 1,500 people were forced to flee the nearby town of Ensenada after the eruption, while several smaller townships were also cleared.

NEW DEADLY RISK: EXPERTS WARN OF SUPERHEATED ROCKS FLYING AT 200MPH CAUSED BY 'PYROCLASTIC FLOW'

Experts said the main risk was now now of a pyroclastic flow - a superheated current of gas and rock that can destroy nearly everything in its path and travel at speeds upwards of 200 to 300 kilometers per hour.

Gabriel Orozco, a vulcanologist with Chile’s geological and mining service, said: “In this situation, with the eruption column so high, the main risk is that it collapses, falls due to gravity because of its own weight and causes a pyroclastic flow,” .

Locals described an apocalyptic scene as ash clouds were shot six miles into the air creating an incredible display of lightning and lava against the night's sky.

Another unexpected eruption in the Los Lagos Region yesterday heightened fears of local waters becoming contaminated, residents developing severe breathing problems and more flights being grounded.

The ash covered cars and houses in cities as far as 18 miles away from the source of the eruption as another massive evacuation effort gets underway.

Previous and equally violent eruptions at Calbuco have continued for up to a week, according to a volcanologist from Oxford University who told MailOnline it is impossible to predict what will happen next.   

The volcano is located near the tourist town of Puerto Varas and the city of Puerto Montt, a little more than 620 miles south of Chile's capital, Santiago.

The National Mining and Geology Service issued a high alert, setting up an exclusion zone of 12.5miles around the volcano, barring access to the area.

Trevor Moffat, who lives in Ensenada, some six miles from the volcano, said the eruption happened without warning. Volcano Calbuco's last major eruption happened in 1961, with a weak eruption following in 1972.

He said: 'It sounded like a big tractor trailer passing by the road, rattling and shaking, guttural rumbling ... we left everything there, grabbed my kid, my dog, got in the car with my wife. 

Mr Moffat, who was originally born in Canada, said he was now driving his family to Puerto Varas. He added: 'All the neighbors were outside, a lot of young people crying. Armageddon type reaction.'

Dusted: A car covered in ash at the Ensenada locality, on the outskirts of Calbuco volcano

Dusted: A car covered in ash at the Ensenada locality, on the outskirts of Calbuco volcano

Ghost town: Most people have abandoned the La Ensenada locality in Puerto Varas (pictured) which has been caked in ash despite being over 18 miles away from the massive eruption at Calbuco volcano

Ghost town: Most people have abandoned the La Ensenada locality in Puerto Varas (pictured) which has been caked in ash despite being over 18 miles away from the massive eruption at Calbuco volcano

Boats dusted with volcanic ash deposited from the eruptions of the looming Calbuco volcano, background, sit parked in front of a home

Boats dusted with volcanic ash deposited from the eruptions of the looming Calbuco volcano, background, sit parked in front of a home

Television pictures showed a spectacular mushroom-shaped column billowing into the sky with occasional lighting bolts shooting through it. The eruption was seen up to 100 miles away in neighbouring Argentina.

Derek Way, a resident of Puerto Varas, said: 'There are a lot of people out in the streets, many heading to the gas stations to fill up on gas. A friend told me to fill everything we have with water.'

Chile, on the Pacific 'Rim of Fire', has the second largest chain of volcanoes in the world after Indonesia, including around 500 that are potentially active.

In March, volcano Villarrica, also in southern Chile, erupted in spectacular fashion, sending a plume of ash and lava high into the sky, but quickly subsided.

Volcanoes occur at the edges of tectonic plates which make up the earth's crust, either where these plates are moving toward or away from one another. Eruptions occur when magma from the Earth's core forces its way to the surface, exploding through weak points in the crust.

Unexpected: The volcano last erupted in 1972, and while it is widely believed to be among Chile's most dangerous, it was not under observation before it erupted today (the eruption pictured from Puerto Varas)

Unexpected: The volcano last erupted in 1972, and while it is widely believed to be among Chile's most dangerous, it was not under observation before it erupted today (the eruption pictured from Puerto Varas)

Explosion: Residents in nearby Puerto Varas go about their business while in the background the ash cloud from Volcano Calbuco is seen

Explosion: Residents in nearby Puerto Varas go about their business while in the background the ash cloud from Volcano Calbuco is seen

Green fields: The scene looked calm away from the fall out from the ash, but southern Chile remains on alert

Green fields: The scene looked calm away from the fall out from the ash, but southern Chile remains on alert

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