*XDWHPDOD YROFDQR $W OHDVW NLOOHG DIWHU )XHJR HUXSWV
GU$T(M$/$ - $t least 6 people, including three children, have been killed and nearly 300 injured in the most violent eruption of Guatemala’s Fuego volcano in more than four decades, officials said. Fuego, whose name means “fire”, spewed an 8km stream of lava and belched a thick plume of black smoke and ash that rained on to the capital and other regions. 'o]ens of communities on the southern slopes of Fuego were buried in a searing mix of mud, ash and rocks as the explosions continued for over 16 hours.
Fresh lava flows hampered search and rescue efforts on Monday, forcing emergency services to withdraw from the area. +undreds of people remain unaccounted for. Speaking on Monday, the head of Guatemala’s National Forensic Sciences ,nstitute said 62 people had died, but only 13 had been identified so far because the bodies were so badly disfigured by flows that reached temperatures as high as 1,300F 700& . “We’re having a lot of trouble identifying them because some of the dead lost their features or their fingerprints. We’re going to have to use other anthropological methods and if possible take 'N$ samples to identify them.”
Mario &ru], spokesman for the volunteer firefighter corps, said 3,100 people had evacuated the area on Sunday. $round 1,400 people spent the night in makeshift shelters set up in schools and government buildings. 3resident -immy Morales convened his ministers late on Sunday evening and declared a state of emergency in the departments of &himaltenango, (scuintla and SacateppTue]. The speed and force of the pyroclastic flows – fast-moving mixtures of gas and volcanic matter – triggered deadly mudslides in the surrounding areas. The majority of confirmed victims so far were from San Miguel /os /otes, (l 5odeo, or (scuintla who died after homes were collapsed by a powerful torrent of lava and mud. 5escuers in helicopters managed to pull at least 10 people alive from ash drifts and mud flows that were up to the rooflines of some homes, forcing first responders to use sledgehammers to break through the roofs to see if anyone was trapped inside.
,t is the second time the volcano has erupted this year, setting off loud explosions and spewing ash into the sky. $sh blanketed cars and houses in the nearby villages of San 3edro <epocapa and Sangre de &risto. $n estimated 1.7 million people – just over 10% of the population – are at risk from ash, toxic gases and waste emanating from the eruption.
(The Guardian)