One of the most active volcanoes in Central America has erupted again, spewing lava and ash and forcing officials in Guatemala City on Sunday to briefly close the country’s largest airport and a major highway. forced to do.
The Fuego volcano – Spanish for fire – erupted into activity overnight Saturday into Sunday, with molten rock pouring down its slopes and ash shooting two kilometers (more than a mile) into the sky. Winds carried the ash 35 km (22 mi) away toward Guatemala City.
La Aurora International Airport, six kilometers south of the capital, was temporarily closed at mid-morning, the General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics said in a statement, citing the presence of ash near the runway.
At least two incoming flights had to be diverted before it reopened around noon local time after winds shifted and sent ash away from the facility, aviation sources said.
Also, a road that connects southern and central Guatemala was closed as a precaution, highway police spokesman Carlos Aquino said.
The volcano is about 16 kilometers from Antigua, the country’s charming former capital and major tourist attraction.
Fuego erupts on average every four to five years. In 2018, an eruption sent rivers of lava flowing around it, destroying the village of San Miguel los Lotes, killing 215 people and leaving the same number missing.
Rodolfo Garcia, a spokesman for civil protection, said authorities were closely monitoring the latest explosion, and that no one had yet been evacuated.
“With what happened in 2018, now the authorities are more vigilant and more active than before,” said Jose Sol, another resident of Alotenango.
Locals witnessed a sudden eruption of lava that turned the sky red on Saturday night. “People here are used to experiencing this, and they see it as normal,” Demetrio Pamal, a 28-year-old local Mayan farmer, told AFP.
Many local families have a bag ready with food, water, flashlights and medicine so they can go out for three days at the drop of a hat.
Guatemala has two other active volcanoes – Santiago in the west of the country and Pacaya in the south.
Fuego is also adjacent to the inactive Actinango Volcano – at 3,500 meters.
Unlike the Andean volcanoes of South America, Guatemala is not covered in snow due to the warm climate of Central America.
There are more than 100 volcanoes in Central America, many of which are popular tourist attractions, although they occasionally cause death and destruction.