The eruption of Guatemala’s Fuego volcano has forced the evacuation of hundreds of people from nearby towns, authorities said Tuesday as they warned that volcanic activity is at its most intense phase.
The Fuego volcano, about 50 kilometres (31 miles) southwest of the capital Guatemala City, has been spewing lava and plumes of ash since Monday. It has prompted the evacuation of at least 1,699 people, say officials, as pyroclastic flows roll down the volcano’s surrounding ravines.
Ash has spread up to 120 kilometres away, exceeding heights of 5,000 metres (3 miles) above sea level, according to Edwin Rojas, director of the National Institute of Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology.
“Activity at the Fuego volcano continues in a critical explosive phase,” Rojas said Tuesday at a press conference.
More than 29,000 people have been affected by the ashfall, according to the Guatemalan disaster managing agency Conred.
An alert has been issued to pilots by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, warning that ash is affecting the airspace west and west-southwest of the volcano, up to the border with Mexico. Guatemala’s main international airport remains operational.
