4 June 2018
Guatemala volcano: Dozens die as Fuego volcano erupts
By BBC
Guatemala's most violent volcanic eruption in more than a century has killed 62 people, officials say.
Dozens more are missing, the country's disaster agency says, and it is feared the death toll could rise.
Villages on the slopes of Fuego volcano were buried in volcanic ash, mud and rocks during Sunday's 16-hour eruption.
Pyroclastic flows, which are fast-moving mixtures of very hot gas and volcanic matter, rushed down the mountainside and engulfed villages.
President Jimmy Morales has declared three days of national mourning.
A further pyroclastic flow on Monday sparked alarm.
Guatemala's coast has also been hit by an earthquake though there are no reports of damage so far.
Fuego, about 40km (25 miles) south-west of the capital Guatemala City, spewed rock, gas and ash into the sky.
Fast-moving flows hit villages, killing people inside their homes.
Sergio Cabañas, head of the country's National Disaster Management Agency (Conred), said the town of El Rodeo had been "buried".
Other towns affected include Alotenango and San Miguel Los Lotes. Rescuers are still trying to reach a number of villages.
Temporary shelters have been set up for about 3,000 residents who have been evacuated.
Image copyrightAFPEfrain Gonzalez, who fled El Rodeo with his wife and one-year-old daughter, said he had had to leave behind his two older children, aged four and ten, trapped in the family home.
Local resident Ricardo Reyes was forced to abandon his home: "The only thing we could do was run with my family and we left our possessions in the house. Now that all the danger has passed, I came to see how our house was - everything is a disaster."
A total of about 1.7 million people have been affected in four regions. The country's main airport has now reopened.
Officials have advised people to wear masks as protection against falling ash.
[apss_share]
