Guatemala orders evacuations as Fuego volcano erupts, forcing residents to flee

A lava fountain measuring between 200 and 300 metres (650 to 1,000 feet) developed above the crater. Pic/ AFP

Authorities in Guatemala have ordered evacuations in several southern communities after the Fuego volcano erupted.

Claudinne Ogaldes, executive secretary of Guatemala's disaster management agency, CONRED, confirmed on Monday evening that the eruption began on Monday morning and intensified throughout the day, prompting evacuation orders for two villages near the volcano.

Live footage showed massive clouds of gas and ash rising above the volcano, while lava and pyroclastic flows rushed down its slopes at high speed.

"The eruption has increased in intensity. A lava fountain measuring between 200 and 300 metres (650 to 1,000 feet) has developed above the crater," according to a report by the Guatemalan Institute of Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology.

In a statement, CONRED said authorities were evacuating El Porvenir and the hamlet of Las Lajitas as a precautionary measure. Around 50 families, or approximately 250 people, are expected to be evacuated.

The agency also issued an orange alert and warned that volcanic ash could spread to nearby towns.

A major highway near the volcano, National Route 14, has been closed, while the Education Ministry has suspended classes in nearby communities.

The Fuego volcano was the site of one of Guatemala's deadliest volcanic disasters in June 2018, when an eruption killed hundreds of people and destroyed an entire village. According to authorities, the disaster affected up to 1.7 million people.

Fuego is one of the most active volcanoes in Guatemala. Another eruption in June last year also prompted preventive evacuations.

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