World

Guatemala volcano: Dozens die as Fuego volcano erupts

June 4, 2018 4:10 pm

Guatemala’s most violent volcanic eruption in more than a century has killed 62 people, officials say.

Dozens more are missing, the country’s disaster agency says, and it is feared the death toll could rise.

Villages on the slopes of Fuego volcano were buried in volcanic ash, mud and rocks during Sunday’s 16-hour eruption.

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Pyroclastic flows, which are fast-moving mixtures of very hot gas and volcanic matter, rushed down the mountainside and engulfed villages.

President Jimmy Morales has declared three days of national mourning.

Eruption in pictures
How many people do volcanoes kill?
A further pyroclastic flow on Monday sparked alarm.

Guatemala’s coast has also been hit by an earthquake though there are no reports of damage so far.

What has happened?
Fuego, about 40km (25 miles) south-west of the capital Guatemala City, spewed rock, gas and ash into the sky.

Fast-moving flows hit villages, killing people inside their homes.