After Guatemala’s Volcán de Fuego (literally: “volcano”) erupted, the country’s main airport was closed for a few hours on Sunday, December 11, authorities said.

The Guatemalan National Institute of Volcanology said Fuego, 3,763 meters high and 35 kilometers from the capital, has been experiencing an eruption phase since Saturday evening.

La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City “temporarily” Closed mid-morning, the General Direction of Civil Aeronautics announced in a press release “Presence of Ashes” Near the track.

It resumed operations three hours later, around noon local time, said Francis Argueta, director of civil aeronautics. “We decided to resume operations as the wind was blowing from north to south” Scatter the ashes, he said in a video posted on social media.

Two flights diverted

The closure of the airport led to the diversion of at least two flights scheduled to land at La Aurora, one from Miami (United States) and the other from Santo Domingo, while delaying the takeoff of other flights, aviation sources said.

Also, a highway connecting the south and center of the country was closed on Sunday due to the eruption of Central America’s most active volcano.

Eruption sustains a “Flaming Fountain” Lava more than 300 meters above the crater and a column of ash rising more than 2 kilometers have warned of a new avalanche of burning material, according to the National Institute of Volcanology.

215 deaths in 2018

Civil Protection has not ordered a precautionary evacuation but is continuing to monitor, spokesman Rodolfo Garcia told Agence France-Presse.

On June 3, 2018, Fuego triggered an avalanche of burning material that swept through the town of San Miguel Los Lotes and covered part of a road, leaving 215 dead and an equal number missing.

“What happened in 2018 is that the authorities are more vigilant and more proactive”Jose Sul, a resident of Alotenango, located east of the volcano, reckons.

Two other volcanoes are active in Guatemala: Santiago (West) and Pacaya, 20 km south of the capital.