A large volcano in Guatemala is erupting, with authorities evacuating nearly 300 families while warning another 30,000 people in the region could be at risk.
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The eruption of the volcano began overnight, with a cloud of ashes scattering Monday, causing authorities to close nearby schools and on key roads to connect to the community. No immediate reports of casualties.
Johan Ordonez/AFP via Getty Images
The Conred Disaster Center in Guatemala says the volcano, called Fuego (the Spaniard’s “fire”) is sending a “volcanic decay flow”, which is “a high-temperature combination of gas, ash and rock debris through the volcanic complex’s ditches.”
Officials say the flow of volcanic material is weak to moderate, but is expected to increase.
“Of all three (jurisdictions) there are about 30,000 or less people at risk and we are trying to get them to evacuate or evacuate themselves,” she said. ”
The greatest danger to a volcano is Lahars, a mixture of ash, rock, dirt and debris that can bury the entire town.
Johan Ordonez/AFP via Getty Images
Isaac García, 43, a resident of El Porvenir on the volcanic hillside, thought of the tragedy when he and his family decided to hear authorities' warnings to evacuate earlier Monday.
“We're a little worried because a few years ago, the volcano became active,” Garcia said, speaking in a mask to prevent falling ashes. He and his mother, wife, and their three children and other relatives came to the sanctuary opened by San Juan Alotenango.
Located about 33 miles southwest of Guatemala City, the 12,300-foot volcano is the most active volcano in Central America. It usually explodes every four to five years, but the last time it broke out in June 2023. During that eruption, more than 1,000 people were evacuated.
one Erupted in 2018 194 people were killed and 234 others were missing.
There are two other active volcanoes in Guatemala – Santiamu in the west of the country and Pacaya in the south.
