Volcan De Fuego In Guatemala Leaves At Least 25 Dead

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

Guatemala's Volcán de Fuego erupted on Sunday night, killing at least 25 people and injuring 20 others..

The volcanic eruption released a river of lava and formed clouds of smoke that monopolized almost six miles in the air, according to CONRED, the government's disaster reduction agency.

Residents of the area ran in terror bathed in ash that covered the entire neighborhood. Several survivors described the horror and destruction they saw at the time of the eruption.

Consuelo Hernández, a resident of the area, told disaster agency (CONRED) officials that some of her relatives were trapped.

"Not everyone escaped, I think they were buried," Hernandez said in a video posted by CONRED. "We saw the lava fall through the cornfields and we ran up a hill."

At least 15 people have been hospitalized, including 12 children, some of whom suffered severe burns, the health ministry said.

The eruption officially ended Sunday night, according to the Guatemalan National Institute of Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology, and Hydrology. But authorities urged residents living near the volcano to evacuate immediately, and warned some in the states of Chimaltenango, Sacatepéquez and Escuintla to watch out for volcanic rocks and ash.

More than 3,100 people have been evacuated as search and rescue efforts continue through the night, said Sergio García Cabañas, director of the disaster agency. The explosion will affect 1.7 million people.

Residents of surrounding areas should be alert for new mudslides that contain volcanic material as there may be new eruptions.

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales declared three days of national mourning.

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