Pada 21 November 2008, thegunung volcanoberapi eruptedtersebut atmeletus pada pukul 0245 GMT according tomenurut [[Colombian Institute of Geology and Mining]](Institut Geologi dan Perlombongan Colombia).<ref name="Nevado del Huila Volcano Erupts in Colombia">{{cite news|url=http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=321142&CategoryId=12393|title=Nevado del Huila Volcano Erupts in Colombia|date=November 23,2008|publisher=Latin America Herald Tribune|accessdate=2008-11-23}}</ref> ''[[BBC|BBC news]]'' reportedmelaporkan thatbahawa severalbeberapa peopleorang weremasih missing,hilang withdan emergencybantuan serviceskecemasan unabletidak todapat reachdihulurkan manyke ofkawasan-kawasan theterpencil. more remote locations.OnPada November 23, 2008, Colombianpihak authoritiesberkuasa reportedColombia melaporkan 10 deathskematian, withdengan 12,000 nearbypenduduk residentsberhampiran beingtelah evacuateddipindahkan. <ref> {{cite web |title=Colombia volcano claims 10 lives |publisher=BBC News |date=2008-11-23 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7744324.stm |accessdate=2008-11-23}} </ref> The eruption had triggered an avalanche of earth and debris that damaged houses, bridges and crops on plantations.<ref name="Homes, crops damaged by Colombian volcano eruption">{{cite news|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/4769601a12.html|title=Homes, crops damaged by Colombian volcano eruption|date=22 November 2008|publisher=Fairfax New Zealand|accessdate=2008-11-23}}</ref> Three small towns of [[Paicol]], [[La Plata]] and [[Belalcázar]] along the [[Paez River]] were affected by this eruption.<ref name="Volcano erupts in southern Colombia">{{cite news|url=http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/AP/story/781485.html|title=Volcano erupts in southern Colombia|date=11.21.08|publisher=Miami Herald|accessdate=2008-11-23}}</ref>
[[President of Colombia]] [[Alvaro Uribe]] flew over the affected area after the volcano erupted. Extensive instrumentation of the volcano put in place by the existing national system for prevention and care of disasters<ref>Dirección Nacional para la Prevención y Atención de Desastres http://www.sigpad.gov.co/noticias_detalle.aspx?idn=267</ref>, which includes training of local inhabitants in high-risk regions and deployment of alarms in nearby towns, reportedly prevented large scale deaths.<ref name="Nevado del Huila Volcano Erupts in Colombia" /> President Alvaro Uribe ordered the [[Air Force of Colombia]] to create an "air bridge" to provide supplies for cut off towns along the [[Rio Paez]].<ref name="Colombian volcano sets off landslides">{{cite news|url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gSJRAVYEnnhjfbof2nrW7492C53AD94JE8280|title=Colombian volcano sets off landslides|date=November 22 2008|publisher=Associated Press|accessdate=2008-11-23}}</ref>
