Guatemala's 'Volcano Of Fire' Erupts

GUATEMALA CITY, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News -27th Sep,2016) - Guatemala's famed "Volcano of Fire" pumped out a series of eruptions Tuesday, spewing lava and sending ashes raining down near the capital, authorities said.

The Volcan de Fuego, an active volcano, is maintaining "moderate to heavy explosions," the National Institute of Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology said in a statement. The eruptions have sent an ash column up into the sky, reaching about 5,000 meters (16,400 feet) above sea level.

The column is moving more than 20 kilometers (12 miles) westwards and southwest, the institute said. The rumbling 3,763-meter-high volcano is located 45 kilometers southwest of the capital Guatemala City.

The incandescent lava at the top of the crater is feeding two rivers of lava, according to the institute. The falling ash is affecting a number of communities, especially the town of Yepocapa, near the volcano.

The institute recommended that aviation authorities take precautions with air-traffic control. In February 2015, a powerful eruption by the volcano forced authorities to temporarily shut the capital's airport because of heavy ash clouds, which also affected the Spanish colonial city of Antigua.

In addition to Fuego, the Central American country has two other active volcanos: Santiaguito in the west and Pacaya in the south, just 30 kilometers from the capital.