DistantNews
Support us
🇳🇮 Nicaragua /Disasters & Emergencies

Villages evacuated in Guatemala as Fuego volcano erupts

From Confidencial · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Ongoing story
  • Hundreds of people evacuated villages on the slopes of Guatemala's Fuego volcano and are in shelters.
  • The volcano, Central America's most active, erupted with increased intensity, spewing lava and ash.
  • Authorities declared a maximum alert, but no casualties have been reported so far.

Hundreds of residents have been evacuated from villages on the slopes of Guatemala's Fuego volcano, seeking refuge in shelters as the country's most active volcano entered an eruptive phase. The volcano, located 35 km from the capital, intensified its activity on Monday night, expelling lava and generating large columns of gas and ash.

We are already used to the volcano always being active, but this time it was too much

— Sonia VásquezA resident of El Porvenir describing the intensity of the Fuego volcano's eruption.

"We are already used to the volcano always being active, but this time it was too much," said Sonia Vásquez, a 50-year-old resident of El Porvenir, who spent the night in a shelter. The National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (Conred) issued a red alert, signifying maximum danger, for three departments surrounding the 3,763-meter-high volcano. Approximately 1.6 million people live in the affected areas of Sacatepéquez, Chimaltenango, and Escuintla.

We ran out scared

— Alejandro GarcíaA resident of El Porvenir recounting the moment of evacuation due to lava flow.

Preliminary figures from the Volunteer Firefighters indicate that at least 500 residents from El Porvenir and Las Lajitas were transported by bus to a community hall in San Juan Alotenango, a town on the volcano's eastern, lower-risk side. Ashfall has so far affected about five municipalities. The international airport in Guatemala City remains operational, and a road leading to the popular tourist destination of Antigua has been reopened.

In your own security, you must evacuate your homes immediately

— Ella WaweyaThe army's spokesperson urging residents of Al Mansouri to evacuate via the X platform.

Alejandro García, another resident of El Porvenir, described the scene: "We ran out scared" as lava descended the slopes. Many fled their homes with minimal belongings. The eruption evokes memories of the devastating June 3, 2018 event, which destroyed a community and resulted in 215 deaths and a similar number of disappearances. Conred's executive secretary, Claudinne Ogaldes, urged families in risk zones to voluntarily move to shelters, promising them care and safe conditions during the ongoing volcanic activity. The Ministry of Education has suspended classes in communities near the volcano.

If there were possibilities to change houses, it would be better, because one lives with the fear that the volcano does not warn; at any moment it can start to erupt

— Lidia OrtizA resident in a shelter expressing her fear and desire to relocate due to the volcano's unpredictable nature.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Confidencial in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog