A young evacuee gathers inside a church used as a shelter after the Fuego volcano erupted. The fiery volcanic eruption in Guatemala sent lava flowing into rural communities, killing at least 69 people.
Guatemala’s disaster agency said 3,100 people have been evacuated. The ash spewing out from the eruption was affecting an area on which nearly 1.7 million people were living. Shelters have been opened for those forced to flee.
The Fuego is one of central America’s most active volcanos. The fast-moving lava flows overtook people in homes and streets, with temperatures reaching as high as 700º C, and hot ash and volcanic gases that can cause rapid asphyxiation.
Here, rescuers use a backhoe loader to clear a street in an ash-covered village. Firefighters said that while they had seen a few trapped people, they were unable to reach them due to pyroclastic flows, which is the rapid movement of hot gases and volcanic matter.
A police officer escapes as the Fuego spews a new pyroclastic flow in the community of San Miguel Los Lotes in Escuintla.
Guatemala’s disaster agency, Conred, issued a number of standard precautions, advising people to wear protective face masks, clean their rooftops of ash once the eruption was over and cover any food and water intended for human consumption.
Mourners taking part in a funeral procession for victims in Alotenango, Guatemala.
Aviation authorities closed the capital’s international airport because of the danger posed to planes by the ash.
Searing flows of lava, ash and rock mixed with water and debris gushed down the volcano’s flanks, blocking roads and burning down homes. A victim lies amid the ash following the eruption of the Fuego Volcano.
In places like Los Lotes and the village of El Rodeo, about 12 km downslope from the crater, it was too late for many to evacuate. Picture shows a victim of the eruption.