Galeras volcano in southern Colombia erupted on Friday, forcing some 3,000 people living in its shadow to evacuate and the government to put the Narino department on the border with Ecuador under a red alert.

The eruption at 3:55 pm (2055 GMT) blanketed the area with ash but caused no injuries or damage, the Geological Mining Institute and local media said.

The evacuation of the area was carried out calmly and methodically since emergency shelters were already set up after Galeras' last eruption on February 20.

In all, some 8,000 people live near the volcano.

The 4,270-meter (14,009-foot) Galeras has stirred sporadically in recent years. It erupted in January 2008, causing no casualties, but a 1993 eruption claimed the lives of nine people.