New Delhi: An active volcano erupted in Central America over the weekend emitting lava and ash that forced Guatemalan authorities to briefly shut the country’s largest airport before activities were eased on Sunday.
The volcano named Fuego, which means fire in Spanish, started erupting overnight Saturday, with molten rock oozing from its slopes and ash belching two km into the sky as the winds brought the ash toward Guatemala City, located 35 km away.
The city's international airport La Aurora, 6 km south of the capital, was temporarily closed at mid-morning, the General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics said citing the presence of ash near the runway, reported by news agency AFP.
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Two incoming flights were diverted, according to the aviation sources before it reopened around midday local time after winds changed direction taking away the ash from the facility.
Other than this, a road connecting southern and central Guatemala was also closed as a precaution, said Carlos Aquino, a spokesperson for the highway police. The road was reopened Sunday afternoon as the volcano’s activity subsided.
What's the severity of the volcano Fuego?
Volcano Fuego is almost 16 km from Antigua, the country’s picturesque former capital and most prominent tourist attraction. The volcano erupts every four to five years on average. In 2018, an eruption caused rivers of lava to belch from its sides, devastating the village of San Miguel Los Lotes. The eruption killed almost 215 people leaving a similar number missing.
Authorities said they were monitoring the latest eruption closely, but that no one had been evacuated. “With what happened in 2018, now the authorities are already more alert and more active," said Jose Sul, a resident of Alotenango, which lies at the eastern base of Fuego.
Locals witnessed the sudden expulsion of lava on Saturday night that left the sky reddened. “People here are used to experiencing this, and they look at it as normal," Demetrio Pamal, a 28-year-old Indigenous Mayan farmer, told AFP.
Several families were also ready with food, water, a flashlight and medicine in case of evacuation for up to three days at the drop of a hat. On Sunday afternoon, the Guatemalan volcanological institute noted the “activity has decreased; there are no longer pyroclastic flows or the emission of lava or eruptive columns loaded with ash."
“After several hours of relative calm, this eruptive activity can be considered over," said Roberto Merida, a technician at the volcanological institute.
There are two other active volcanoes — Santiaguito in the west of the country and Pacaya in the south. Fuego also adjoins the inactive Acatenango volcano — at 3,500 meters.
Unlike South America’s Andean volcanoes, Guatemala’s are not snow-capped because of Central America’s warmer climate.
Also, note that Central America has more than 100 volcanoes and some are wildly popular tourist attractions as occasionally they cause death and destruction.