BRIT: MY KILLER VOLCANO ESCAPE
Backpacker lucky to avoid carnage
A BRIT backpacker claims he is lucky to be alive after dodging a deadly volcanic eruption.
At least 38 people were killed and around 300 injured after the Volcan de Fuego in Guatemala exploded on Sunday, spewing ash and molten rock for miles around.
Richard Fitz-Hugh had hiked with a group to the base of nearby Acatenango the day before the eruption happened.
Now safe, he claims he is “fortunate” to still be alive. He said: “We knew it was active, it’s all part of the experience, you go up and see the lava, that’s the point of climbing Acatenango.
“I don’t know anyone who has been physically harmed
(on Acatenango) but obviously it wouldn’t be completely safe being up high today.
“I’m sort of fortunate that I did it before.”
The 24-year-old revealed he had already heard about people caught up in the eruption.
He said: “It was fine then, erupting as normal with lava flows, but a lot worse today.
“We heard about six people who were killed and more who were injured, that was at the foot of the volcano.” Richard, from Beaconsfield, Bucks, said: “We also heard there were a couple of people who were coming down (from Acatenango) early this morning when it started raining small volcanic rocks up to the size of your palm.”
A 5.2 magnitude earthquake also hit in the Pacific Ocean off the Guatemala coast yesterday morning local time.
The Foreign Office warned Brit tourists to keep up to date with advice of local officials.