D
Da Ji
Guest
May 29, 2010
Thousands flee volcanoes
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A woman cries as she uses a cell phone after the Pacaya volcano erupted in the town of Calderas, Guatemala. -- PHOTO: AP
<!-- story content : start --> GUATEMALA CITY - THOUSANDS of people were evacuated and airports were closed as two volcanoes erupted in Guatemala and Ecuador on Friday, choking major cities with ash, and leaving two dead, officials said. Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom declared a 15-day state of emergency around the Pacaya volcano, 50km south of the capital. The volcano erupted again on Friday after first bursting back to life on Wednesday, killing two people, including a television reporter covering the event.
In Ecuador, the Tungurahua volcano exploded into action Friday, forcing the evacuation of at least seven villages and closing down the airport and public schools in Guayaquil, the country's largest and most populated city. As the 2,552m Pacaya volcano exploded anew on Friday, with billowing clouds of ash and dust, Mr Colom said La Aurora International Airport, in Guatemala City, would remain closed until Saturday 'because we've got to clean the runways and surrounding areas' of ash.
He said the eruptions since Wednesday had killed two people, injured 59, left three children missing and destroyed 100 homes. The Emergency Management Coordinator said between 1,700-1,900 people have been evacuated from their homes to nearby shelters in three departments affected by the emergency decree. The Education Ministry also suspended classes in the emergency area. On Friday, the volcano was rocked by constant explosions and spewed bright-coloured plumes into the air.
Guatemala City was covered in a blanket of ash and dust, as people evacuated from the danger zone wandered the streets darkened by the ash cloud and the city's two million inhabitants tried to cope with the catastrophe. The head of the national seismological institute warned more eruptions could take place 'in the coming days' at the most active volcano in Central America. The Pacaya volcano has been active for 49 years and has experienced six large eruptions. -- AFP
