Ecuador volcano erupts, villagers flee

[Judi Lynn]

Ecuador volcano erupts, villagers flee
12:04
Published: 8:59AM Saturday May 29, 2010

Source: Reuters

Ecuadorean villagers fled their homes after the Andean nation's "Throat of Fire" volcano erupted, spewing ash that forced officials to reroute some flights and close an airport, authorities said.

In the second volcanic eruption in Latin America on Friday (Saturday NZT), loud explosions shook the ground and rattled windows near the volcano known as Tungurahua in the indigenous Quechua language, 130km southeast of Quito, officials said.

Residents close to the 5,020-metre volcano were evacuated from Cusua and Juive Grande villages, the president's office said in a statement.

Officials in the area said hundreds of families had been moved, while Ecuador's aviation authorities closed the airport in coastal Guayaquil and altered the routes of some flights to avoid the ash cloud.

"The eruptive column is some 10km high," Hugo Yepes, director of Ecuador's Geophysical Institute, told reporters.

Tungurahua has been classed as active since 1999 and had a strong eruption in 2008. It is one of eight active volcanoes in the country.

Yepes said ash plumes could "easily" reach the 10,700 to 12,200 metres at which long distance flights operate. "As such there should be at least a diversion for international routes," he said.

More:
http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/ecuador-volcano-erupts-villagers-flee-3571440

[rabs]

1. Couple of photos

Tungurahua blowing and volcanic ash over the port city of Guayaquil,
Ecuador's main port and economic center.

[Judi Lynn]

2. That looks so grim. Had never known they had a town that close to the volcano.

Breathing that air is deadly, I've heard.

Thanks for the photos.

[Bacchus39]

3. Guayaquil, the biggest city in Ecuador, isn't too close to that volcano

numerous cities in Ecuador are located immediately adjacent to volcanoes including Quito. goes for the rest of the entire Andes range as well.

the pics from Guayaquil show the magnitude of the ash cloud. If the cloud is "deadly" in Guayaquil the entire country is doomed save the Galapagos.

[rabs]

4. About 80 miles northeast of Guayaquil

and looks like the prevailing winds are carrying the ash to Guayaquil and the southern coast.




Ecuador is a small country and nothing is very far from anything.

[Bacchus39]

5. yeah, lets hope the residents of the towns near the volcano aren't harmed

and the Guayaquil metro area is home to more than 3 million.