GUATEMALA: Dozens dead as ”Volcan de Fuego” erupts

At least 25 people have been reported killed and 300 injured, after a volcano erupted in Guatemala, spewing ash and lava over the surrounding area, the country’s disaster management agency has said. It was feared the death toll could climb even higher because there were communities that could not be accessed by Sunday evening, Sergio […]

At least 25 people have been reported killed and 300 injured, after a volcano erupted in Guatemala, spewing ash and lava over the surrounding area, the country’s disaster management agency has said.

It was feared the death toll could climb even higher because there were communities that could not be accessed by Sunday evening, Sergio Cabanas, Conred agency’s general secretary, said.

The dead included a Conred employee and at least three children, officials said.

The army said it had evacuated 3,100 people from around the volcano, 70km south-west of Guatemala City, and posted pictures of soldiers carrying children covered in ashes from houses.

President Jimmy Morales visited Conred headquarters on Sunday evening and later following a cabinet meeting declared a state of emergency in the departments (the states) of Chimaltenango, Sacatepequez and Escuintla.