GUATEMALA CITY – Explosive eruptions shook two huge volcanos in Central and South America yesterday, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes and disrupting air traffic as ash drifted over wide regions.Guatemala’s Pacaya volcano started erupting lava and rocks on Thursday afternoon, blanketing the country’s capital with ash and forcing the closure of the international airport. President Alvaro Colom declared a “state of calamity”.“We thought we wouldn’t survive. Our houses crumbled and we’ve lost everything,” said Brenda Castaneda, who said she and her family hid under beds and tables as marble-sized rocks thundered down on her home in the village of Calderas. The family was waiting for rescue teams to take them to a shelter at a nearby school.Television reporter Anibal Archila was killed by a shower of burning rocks when he got too close to the volcano, about 15 miles south of Guatemala City, said David de Leon, a spokesman for the national disaster committee.The last images of Archila broadcast by Channel 7 television show him standing in front of a lava river and burning trees, talking about the intense heat.De Leon said three children between the ages of seven and 12 were missing.At least 1 600 people from villages closest to the volcano have been evacuated to shelters.Ash rained heavily on nearby communities and constant explosions continued to shake the 8 373-foot mountain, according to the Central American country’s Geophysical Research and Services Unit.The unit reported an ash plume 3 000 feet high that trailed more than 12 miles to the northwest.In Guatemala City, bulldozers scraped the blackened streets while residents used shovels to clean their cars and roofs. The blanket of ash was three inches thick in some southern parts of the city.The government urged residents not to leave their homes unless there was an urgent need.La Aurora airport would be closed at least until today as crews cleaned up said Claudia Monge, a spokeswoman for civil aviation.Meanwhile, strong explosions rocked Ecuador’s Tungurahua volcano, prompting evacuation of hundreds of people from nearby villages.The National Geophysics Institute said hot volcanic material blasted down the slopes of the volcano, and ash plumes soared six miles above a crater that was already 16 479 feet above sea level.Officials said that within a few hours, winds already had blown the ash over the city of Guyaquil, 110 miles to the southwest.The eruption led aviation officials to halt flights out of Guayaquil and from Quito to Lima, Peru.Institute researcher Sandro Vaca told Radio Sonorama that the eruption “seems to be growing rapidly”. There were no immediate reports of deaths. (AP)
