Guatemalan Volcano Eruption Causes Deaths, Injuries and Travel Disruptions

A violent eruption of the Fuego volcano in Guatemala Sunday has resulted in an estimated 25 deaths, nearly 300 injuries and travel delays and cancellations.

According to Reuters.com, the Volcan de Fuego erupted for a second time in 2018 with a five-mile stream of lava and a thick plume of black smoke and ash. Rescuers found charred bodies as they worked to assist badly injured victims.

The general secretary of Guatemala’s CONRED national disaster management agency, Sergio Cabanas, revealed the lava overflowed its banks and affected the El Rodeo village, with an estimated 3,100 people being evacuated from the area.

So far, officials have announced the deaths were concentrated in three towns: El Rodeo, Alotenango, and San Miguel los Lotes. Emergency crews have yet to reach the village of La Libertad, which Cabanas said was devastated by the lava flow as well.

Guatemala’s civil aviation authority revealed La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City was shut down Sunday due to the volcanic ash in the air. Major Delta, and United have all started issuing travel waivers for scheduled flights to Guatemala as a result of the eruptions.

Tourists trying to visit popular attractions in Guatemala City and the colonial city of Antigua will have to deal with the plumes of ash from the volcano, which is around 25 miles southwest of the capital.

In addition, guests and workers at the La Reunion golf club near Antigua were evacuated as ash rose from just beyond the property’s boundaries.