MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Thousands evacuated from areas around Guatemalan Fuego volcano

This is the fifth eruption so far this year of the 3 763-meter volcano, one of the most active in Central America, about 30 km south of Guatemala City

Almost 4 000 people were evacuated from areas around Guatemala’s Fuego volcano, which began violently erupting on Monday, the country’s disaster agency Conred said.

The volcano spewed out dangerous flows of fast-moving clouds of hot ash, lava and gas early Monday and more than 2 000 people had taken refuge in shelters so far, officials from the agency told reporters. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

More dangerous flows of hot ash and lava could be expelled, said Juan Pablo Oliva, the head of the country’s seismological, volcanic and meteorological institute Insivumeh.
In June, explosive flows from Fuego killed more than 190 people.

This is the fifth eruption so far this year of the 3 763-meter volcano, one of the most active in Central America, about 30 km south of Guatemala City.

Since the eruption began Sunday morning, lava rises 500 meters above Fuego's crater, while the ash column exceeds one kilometer above the volcanic cone and is causing a rain of particles, the Institute of Volcanology said.