Purple haze! Mysterious mauve cloud hangs over village in Chile
- The brightly coloured cloud hovered low over Pozo Almonte on Sunday morning
- Officials believe it may have been caused by a pump failure at a minerals plant
- The cloud is believed to have been comprised of iodine vapour
A mysterious purple cloud that eerily hung over a town in Chile has baffled locals and officials.
The brightly coloured cloud hovered low over Pozo Almonte in the north of the South American country on Sunday morning.
Officials are now investigating the phenomenon and believe it may have been caused by a pump failure at a minerals plant.
A mysterious purple cloud that eerily hung over a town in Chile has baffled locals and officials
The cloud – which caused consternation in the community – is believed to have been comprised of iodine vapour.
It was observed close to the Cala Cala mine, which belongs to the Saltpetre and Iodine Company (Cosayach).
Christian Ibanez – deputy head of Chile’s Tarapaca Region – said: ‘We are carrying out an inspection, which tells us that this incident was due to the failure of a motor of the impeller pump.’
Environmental official Emanuel Ibarra said the pump failure had caused iodine at the plant to change from a solid to a gaseous state.
The brightly coloured cloud hovered low over Pozo Almonte in the north of the South American country on Sunday morning
Tarapaca Region representative Daniel Quinteros said: ‘Until now, there have been no medical consultations or affectations as a result of the situation we are experiencing.’
He added: ‘We are also in contact with the Superintendency of Environment so that tomorrow we can evaluate the filing of a complaint for non-compliance with the regulations and the commitments made by the company in environmental matters.’
The cloud has since dispersed but officials remained on site for 48 hours to monitor the situation.