The volcano of fire, the most active in Central America, erupted Thursday and has already led to the evacuation of more than 1,000 people in Guatemala.
The beginning of the volcano’s activity sent thick clouds of ash over farms and towns not far from the country’s capital.
Otoritas Guatemala mengevakuasi hampir 900 keluarga daerah yang bedekatan dengan gunung berapi Fuego akibat letusannya. pic.twitter.com/a82TLpusig
– To go. Benny Dwika Leonanda (@bdleonanda) May 5, 2023
Local civil defense official Oscar Cossio said 1,054 people from five communities near the base of the volcano were evacuated after being transferred to a sports center where they were installed. However, this official admitted that the number is likely to increase.
Guatemala’s Conred disaster center explained that the Fogo volcano spewed “pyroclastic flows” — a mixture of high-temperature gas, ash and rock fragments “that come down the flanks of the volcanic complex at great speed.” more than 6000 meters above sea level.
#Guatemala The government evacuated nearly 900 families from areas bordering Fuego volcano due to the eruption
The eruption is accompanied by the release of ash and gases to a height of more than 6 kilometers and lava flowing from the eastern and western slopes of the volcano. pic.twitter.com/XI72haX3IR
– maria larsson (@marialarsson201) May 5, 2023
Conred added that ash was falling to the west and southwest of the volcano, still in a distant direction from the capital Guatemala City, which is 35 kilometers to the northeast.
Conred official Rodolfo Garcia estimated that 130,000 people live in areas exposed to ash that fell 100 kilometers from the crater, adding that 13 emergency shelters have been opened in four cities, with a capacity for 7,600 people.
Authorities have already closed a road on the slopes of the volcano that connects to the colonial city of Antigua, the country’s top tourist attraction and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
– Le Volcan Fuego est entre en eruption au #Guatemala. pic.twitter.com/ehBYupYZFL
– M@nu l’info (@Manu_Officiel4) May 5, 2023
This 3763 meter high volcano erupts every four or five years. In 2018, an eruption sent lava flows down the slopes, destroying the village of San Miguel Los Lotes, leaving 215 people dead and a similar number missing.
Source: DN
