A mysterious purple cloud that hovered eerily over a town has baffled experts and locals.
Pictures of the wispy formation were taken as it hung low over Pozo Almonte in northern Chile on Sunday morning. The incredible images show the vibrant purple stretching across the otherwise cloudless sky.
South American officials are now investigating the puzzling phenomenon with several potential explanations put forward.
Some believe it was caused by a pump failure at a nearby minerals plant, with the display a result of iodine vapour leaking from the Cala Cala mine.
Christian Ibanez, deputy head of Chile’s Tarapaca Region, said: “We are carrying out an inspection, which tells us that this purple cloud was due to the failure of a motor of the impeller pump.”
Environmental official Emanuel Ibarra said that the pump failure had caused iodine at the plant to change from a solid state to a gaseous state, leading to the fluorescent display in the sky.
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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.”
“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,” he added.
