Guatemala: More than 1,000 people evacuated as ‘Volcano of Fire’ erupts

Authorities in Guatemala scrambled to evacuate thousandsof people after Central America's most active volcano, often known as the ‘Volcano of Fire’, erupted on Thursday (May 4). Firefighters said residents of the hamlet of Panimache were taken to shelters, reported the Associated Press.

Civil protection official Oscar Cossio said 1,054 people had been evacuated from five communities near the foot of the volcano, and moved to a sports hall for shelter, reported news agency AFP. The number is said to increaseas a full accounting of the evacuees was carried out, he added.

A civil protection official Rodolfo Garcia told AFP that had previously said some 350 residents were evacuated from communities near the foot of the volcano which was seen spewing thick clouds of ash over farms and towns not far from the capital city.

According to the country’s disaster agency, the volcano could affect as many as 100,000 people in communities around the peak. Red-hot rock and ash were seen flowing down the slopes toward an area devastated by a deadly 2018 eruption which killed nearly 200 people.

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The Guatemalan Conred disaster centre has also said that the volcano named Fuego, Spanish for “fire,” was sending out “pyroclastic flows,” which is a high-temperature mix of gas, ash and rock fragments. The ash column ejected by Fuego reached more than 6,000 metres above sea level, reported AFP.

The ash, as per the disaster agency, is falling to the west and southwest of the volcano and stronger emissions could follow as the “high level” eruption continues. Furthermore, officials have also expressed concerns about the rainfall forecast which could lead to mudslides. According to Garcia, 13 emergency shelters had opened in four nearby towns, capable of providing refuge to 7,600 people.

However, the official also told AFP, that as many as 130,000 people live within areas exposed to falling ash which travelled as far as 100 kilometres from the crater. The transit police have also released photos showing autos and motorcycles stopped along highways to avoid getting bogged down in fallen ash, said the news agency.

When Fuego, the 3,763-metre tall volcano, erupted last December, it forced Guatemalan authorities to temporarily close the country’s largest airport.

Meanwhile, the authorities, as per media reports, have also expressed concern over lahars, a mixture of ash, rock, mud and debris, that can bury entire towns. Lahars were flowing down four of the seven gullies on the volcano’s flanks, reported the AP, citing the country’s disaster agency.

(With inputs from agencies)

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