Fuego volcano erupts in Guatemala

Tuesday, December 13, 2022

The volcano erupts yesterday in Guatemala forcing the airports to shut down the travel. This volcanic mountain sits about 16 kilometers (10 miles) from Antigua, the country’s picturesque former capital and biggest tourist attraction.

Fuego erupts every four to five years on average. In 2018, an eruption sent rivers of lava pouring down its sides, devastating the village of San Miguel Los Lotes, killing 215 people and leaving a similar number missing.

The civic authorities are monitoring the latest eruption closely, and so far, no one has been evacuated, said Rodolfo Garcia.

“With what happened in 2018, now the authorities are already more alert and more active,” said Jose Sul, another resident of Alotenango.

The locals saw a sudden expulsion of lava Saturday night that reddened the sky. “People here are used to experiencing this, and they look at it as normal,” Demetrio Pamal, a 28-year-old Indigenous Mayan farmer.

There are many local families have a backpack ready with food, water, a flashlight and medicine so they can evacuate for up to three days at the drop of a hat.

Guatemala has two other active volcanoes — Santiaguito in the west of the country and Pacaya in the south.

Unlike South America’s Andean volcanoes, Guatemala’s are not snow-capped because of Central America’s warmer climate. Central America has more than 100 volcanoes, many of which are wildly popular tourist attractions, even though they occasionally cause death and destruction.

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