6 June 2018
Evacuations after new eruption at Guatemalan volcano
By BBC
At least 72 deaths have been reported since the volcano first erupted on Sunday, with many others missing.
Authorities say more than 1.7 million people have been affected by the eruption, with more than 3,000 evacuated and many living in shelters.
Villages on the slopes of the volcano were buried in volcanic ash and mud.
Volcanologists said earlier on Tuesday that the initial eruption, which sent ash up to 10km (33,000ft) into the sky, was over for the near future.
Eddy Sanchez, the head of Guatemala's National Institute of Seismology, had said there would be "no imminent eruption over the next few days".
Emergency workers were still searching for bodies on Tuesday when the new eruption came.
Sunday's blast generated pyroclastic flows - fast-moving mixtures of very hot gas and volcanic matter - which descended down the slopes, engulfing communities including El Rodeo and San Miguel Los Lotes.
Volcanologist Dr Janine Krippner told the BBC that people should not underestimate the risk from pyroclastic flows and volcanic mudflows, known as lahars.
"Fuego is a very active volcano. It has deposited quite a bit of loose volcanic material and it is also in a rain-heavy area, so when heavy rains hit the volcano that is going to be washing the deposits away into these mudflows which carry a lot of debris and rock.
"They are extremely dangerous and deadly as well."
[apss_share]
