One of Central America’s most active volcanoes has erupted again, spewing lava and ash and forcing Guatemala city authorities to shut down the country’s largest airport and highway on Sunday.
The volcano, which is called Fuego, which means fire in Spanish, returned to activity on Saturday evening, when molten rock flowed down its slopes and ash was thrown into the sky. The winds also carried ash towards Guatemala City, 35 kilometers away.
In a statement, the Civil Aviation Authority announced the temporary closure of La Aurora International Airport, located six kilometers south of the capital, in the morning after ash was found near the runways and at least two flights were changed.
As a precautionary measure, authorities have also closed the highway connecting southern and central Guatemala, a traffic police official said.
The volcano is located about 16 kilometers from Antigua, the former capital of the country, which is one of the most important tourist attractions in Guatemala.
Fuego Volcano erupts every four to five years, and in 2018, its eruption caused the destruction of the village of San Miguel Los Lotes, on which rivers of lava poured, killing 215 people and as many more missing.
Civil protection spokesman Rodolfo Garcia said authorities are closely monitoring the latest eruption and no one has been evacuated so far.
Two other volcanoes are active in Guatemala, Santiagoto in the west of the country and Basaya in the south.
