Santiaguito volcano erupts in Guatemala

By Senabri Silvestre

SANTO DOMINGO, Dom. Rep. (AA) – A volcano in Guatemala erupted Tuesday sending an ash column of about five kilometers (3 miles) high that spread to places as far away as Mexico, authorities said.

No damages or evacuations were reported, according to David Leon, spokesman for the Disaster Resolution Coordinator agency (Conrad).

The explosion from the Santiaguito volcano, located in the western province of Quetzaltenango, was recorded at 6:58 a.m. local time (GMT1258), according to the National Institute of Seismology and Volcanology (Insivumeh).

The 2,550-meter (8,360-foot) high volcano continues to expel west-bound ashes that could travel up to 40 kilometers (25 miles), it added.

“Santiaguito activity is kept within a range of highly dangerous. We are not ruling out the occurrence of similar or greater magnitude events, so it is necessary that appropriate measures be taken,” Insivumeh said in statement.

The organization also urged that precautions should be taken with air traffic because of the presence of ash particles 5,000 meters (16,400 feet) above sea level.