A volcano erupted in Guatemala, sending a six-kilometer-high ash cloud and evacuating more than a thousand people Abroad
UpdateIn Guatemala, Fuego Volcano, near the capital Guatemala City and the most active volcano in Central America, erupted Thursday, Guatemalan officials said. Ash clouds were ejected from a height of six kilometers. In nearby villages and towns, over a thousand residents have been evacuated as a precaution.
“An increase in the activity of the Fuego volcano has been confirmed,” the Disaster Response Coordination (CONRED) said. The agency reports that “pyroclastic flows”, a mixture of gas, steam and debris at very high temperatures, rained ash on seven nearby villages. The ash column above Fuego reached a height of more than 6,000 meters above sea level.
1,045 people were evacuated from five communities at the base of the volcano and taken to the sports arena, Civil Protection official Oscar Cosio said. 13 emergency shelters with a capacity of around 7,600 people have been opened in four nearby towns.
The National Institute of Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology (Incivumeh) has warned of mudslides and debris flows due to the predicted rains. The eruption began early Thursday morning, Conrad said, warning of the dangers of the worsening situation.
35 kilometers from the capital
The Fuego Volcano, at an altitude of 3,763 meters, is 35 km from the capital. The volcano erupts on average every four to five years. Its latest outbreak in December 2022 forced the closure of Guatemala’s international airport and a busy road between the tourist city of Antigua and the south of the country.
On June 3, 2018, a cloud of fire from the volcano buried the village of San Miguel Los Lodes, killing 215 people and leaving an equal number missing.
Two other volcanoes are active in Guatemala: Santiago (in the west of the country) and Pacaya (in the south).
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