Guatemala volcano erupts
A TV reporter was killed from rocks coming from a volcano overlooking the Guatemalan City. Three children are reported to be missing.
On Thursday afternoon, the Pacaya volcano erupted.The Guatemala City was enveloped with lava and rocks and was blanketed with ash.Thus this prompted closure of the international airport and a declaration of a “state of calamity” by the President Alvaro Colom.
1,600 people have been taken to shelters according to latest estimations. The reporter who lost his life was Anibal Archila. According to a spokesman for the national disaster committee, Archila was standing too close to the Pacaya volcano when rocks fell over him.
The Guatemala government has advised citizens to stay at home and not come out unless there is an emergency or an urgent need. Pacaya volcano is the most active of the 32 volcanoes located in the country.
Traffic has been also affected by the ash covering the city which is accumulated in areas to up to 3 inches!
Two to three inches (Five to 7.5 centimeters) of ash accumulated on streets in some southern parts of the city, and officials imposed limits on trucks and motorcycles to help speed up traffic slowed by the ash.
The goverment advises the residents to stay at their homes not unless there’s really an urgent matter that needs attending.
The most active of Guatemala’s 32 volcanos, Pacaya has been intermittently erupting since 1966, and tourists frequently visit areas near three lava flows formed in eruptions between 1989 and 1991.
In 1998, the 8,373-foot (2,552-meter) volcano twice spewed plumes of ash, forcing evacuations and shutting down the airport in Guatemala City.
