Fuego volcano spews huge cloud of ash

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The volcano “Fuego” near Guatemala’s capital erupted Thursday, spewing a huge cloud of ash up to 6,000 meters high into the air. Guatemalan civil protection agency Conred said the most active volcano in Central America in Guatemala City is ejecting “pyroclastic flows” — a mixture of gas, ash and superheated rock — “tumbling down the slopes at great speed.”

This in turn leads to “abundant” ash rain on villages and farms up to 50 kilometers away. Conred warned of further eruptions, noting that mudslides could form due to the predicted rainfall.

Exclusion zone around volcano

Civil protection advised residents of the affected areas to carefully follow all instructions from the authorities and asked everyone to maintain a seven-kilometer exclusion zone from the volcano.

Last December, an eruption of the same volcano forced Guatemalan authorities to temporarily close the country’s main airport. Located about 10 miles from the country’s scenic former capital and top tourist attraction, Antigua, the volcano erupts approximately every four to five years.

A large eruption of the 3763-meter-high volcano in the south of the Central American country in 2018 left hundreds of people dead and missing.

According to the authorities, preventive evacuations were already underway in nearby towns such as Morelia and Panimaché. Ash rain was recorded in numerous communities. (AFP/SDA)

Source: Blick