Several hundred residents were evacuated and a road was closed Thursday in Guatemala after it entered in a phase of explosive activity the Fuego volcanoat a relatively short distance from the capital, the most active in all of Central America, the Civil Protection announced.
“Irogenic flows are descending into canyons” on the slopes of the volcano’s cone, the national coordination agency for disasters (CONRED) said in a statement.
Because of the dangers posed by these flows – plumes of deadly gases, vaporized water, debris, molten rock with high temperatures, which descend the slopes “at great speed” – some 350 residents of nearby villages were evacuated from their homes, he told French Agency representative of CONRED, Rodolfo Garcia. Another 130,000 people may be at risk, he said.
Authorities have arranged for thirteen shelters to be opened, which have the capacity to accommodate around 7,600 people, he added.
The column rising into the sky from the crater, consisting of gases and volcanic ash, “has reached a height of 6,000 meters above sea level and is moving in a west and southeast direction”, has traveled more than “50 kilometers” and caused ash rain in at least seven villages around the volcano, according to Civil Protection.
The authorities assure that they are closely monitoring the situation, as well, according to the Institute of Volcanology Guatemala (INSIVUMEH), hot plumes could reach up to six kilometers from the crater, while other “pyroclastic flows, weak, moderate and strong” may erupt and travel long distances “in the coming hours”.
Volcán de Fuego (“volcano of fire”), whose crater reaches an altitude of 3,763 meters, is only 35 kilometers from the capital. The last time it entered a phase of explosive activity, in December 2022, Guatemala’s international airport had to be closed, as was a busy road between the tourist city of Antigua and the southern part of the country.
The police prohibited the crossing of the same road yesterday afternoon, according to the AFP and the Athens News Agency.
On June 3, 2018, a powerful volcanic eruption followed by the release of pyroclastic flows obliterated the community of San Miguel Los Lotes and part of the road to the nearby town of Alotenango. The official tally by the authorities was 215 dead, hundreds injured and many missing, some of whom were never found.
Besides Fuego, Guatemala has two other active volcanoes, Pacaya (south) and Santiago (west).
Source: News Beast
With 6 years of experience, I bring to the table captivating and informative writing in the world news category. My expertise covers a range of industries, including tourism, technology, forex and stocks. From brief social media posts to in-depth articles, I am dedicated to creating compelling content for various platforms.
