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Guatemala’s Volcano of Fire: Lava flows prompt new evacuations

Death toll from Fuego’s most violent eruption in four decades has been gradually rising and now stands at 109.

GUATEMALA VOLCANO
A volunteer firefighter rescues a dog from the disaster zone near the Volcan de Fuego, or Volcano of Fire, in Escuintla, Guatemala. [Moises Castillo/AP Photo]
Published On 8 Jun 2018

Dangerous flows of lava and toxic gases poured down several canyons below the crater of Guatemala’s Fuego volcano on Friday, prompting a new round of evacuations of rescue workers and nearby villages.

The death toll from Fuego’s most violent eruption in four decades has been rising and now stands at 109.

The eruptions began with a massive blast on Sunday and since then have showered ash over a vast area.

 “The (flows) carry hot vapor, including fine particles similar to cement, two- to three-meter diameter rocks and tree trunks dragged out by the current,” Guatemala’s volcanic institute said.

Search and rescue efforts were formally suspended on Thursday due to hazardous conditions, though authorities said they could resume if the situation improves. 

Firefighters said the chance of finding anyone alive amid the still-steaming terrain was practically nonexistent 72 hours after the volcanic explosion.

“Nobody is going to be able to get them out or say how many are buried here,” Efrain Suarez said, standing amid the smoking holes dotting what used to be the village of San Miguel Los Lotes on the flanks of the mountain.

“The bodies are already charred,” the 59-year-old truck driver said. “And if heavy machinery comes in they will be torn apart.” 

The United States announced on Thursday it was sending emergency aid, including financial resources, to help meet food, water and sanitation needs.

Mexico said it was sending a team of burn specialists, while Chile said it would send equipment to provide an early warning of volcanic eruptions.

A team of Cuban doctors resident in Guatemala were providing support in shelters for the displaced.

Once a verdant stretch of canyons, hillsides and farms, the land is now a barren moonscape.

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Rescue workers search in El Rodeo, one of the hamlets in the disaster area near the Volcan de Fuego. [Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo]
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Firefighters work in the disaster zone blanketed in volcanic ash. [Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo]
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A rescue worker carries a flock of farm birds rescued from homes destroyed by the Volcan de Fuego. [Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo]
GUATEMALA VOLCANO
Firefighters said the chance of finding anyone alive amid the still-steaming terrain was practically nonexistent. [Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo]
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Kimberly Sofia Gonzalez cries as she holds a baby during the burial of her brother-in-law Erick Rivas, 20, who died in the hospital after suffering burns from the eruption of the Volcan de Fuego. Rivas was returning home from the town of San Miguel Los Lotes after visiting his girlfriend, who survived. [Luis Soto/AP Photo]
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Soldiers stand guard outside a destroyed home in the disaster zone covered in volcanic ash. [Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo]
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Cows lie dead amid steam rising from the hot volcanic ash following a light rain. [Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo]
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Members of Guatemala's National Disaster Management Agency take a break before continuing the search for bodies. [Jose Cabezas/Reuters]
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A soldier uses a pick amid rescue efforts in the community of San Miguel Los Lotes in Escuintla. [Luis Echeverria/Reuters]
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Rescue workers use excavators in an area affected by the eruption of the Fuego volcano. [Carlos Jasso/Reuters]
GUATEMALA VOLCANO
The Fuego volcano is seen from Alotenango, Guatemala. [Jose Cabezas/Reuters]