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| Guatemala Fuego: Search after deadly volcano eruption | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: 5 Jun 2018, 12:10 AM (49 Views) | |
| skibboy | 5 Jun 2018, 12:10 AM Post #1 |
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Guatemala Fuego: Search after deadly volcano eruption 2 hours ago Soldiers are helping firefighters search for missing people after Sunday's horrific volcanic eruption in Guatemala, when torrents of superheated rock, ash and mud destroyed villages. The official death toll from the destruction at the Fuego volcano has risen to 62, the authorities say. Thousands of people are being housed in temporary shelters. Volcanologists report the eruption, which sent ash up to 10km (33,000ft) into the sky, is now over. The eruption also generated pyroclastic flows - fast-moving mixtures of very hot gas and volcanic matter - descending down the slopes, engulfing communities such as El Rodeo and San Miguel Los Lotes. ![]() Eufemia Garcia (centre) escaped but is searching for her children Eufemia Garcia, from Los Lotes, described how she narrowly escaped the volcanic matter as she walked through an alley to go to the shops. Though she had found two of her children alive she was still searching for two daughters and a son and a grandson, as well as her extended family. "I do not want to leave, but go back, and there is nothing I can do to save my family," she said. Efrain Gonzalez, who fled El Rodeo with his wife and one-year-old daughter, said he had had to leave behind his two older children, aged four and ten, trapped in the family home. Local resident Ricardo Reyes was also forced to abandon his home: "The only thing we could do was run with my family and we left our possessions in the house. Now that all the danger has passed, I came to see how our house was - everything is a disaster." Firefighter Rudy Chavez descried how he was searching affected areas for survivors and also for those who had died. "We were about to evacuate the area when we found an entire family inside a home," he said. " We worked to remove their bodies from the house. Someone raised the alarm that the area was very dangerous and we evacuated but thank God we met with our objective of recovering the bodies of those people." 'Day turned to night' Jorge Luis Altuve, part of Guatemala's mountain rescue brigade, told the BBC how he and his colleagues had been up on the mountain searching for a missing person when they realised that the volcano's activity had suddenly increased. He heard something hitting his safety helmet and realised that it was not rain that was falling but stones. "We'd already started our descent... when the ash cloud reached us and day turned into night. From daylight it went to being as dark as at 10pm," he said. ![]() Firefighters are searching for survivors and bodies ![]() Soldiers were brought in to help emergency workers Volcanologist Dr Janine Krippner told the BBC that people should not underestimate the risk from pyroclastic flows and volcanic mudflows, known as lahars. "Fuego is a very active volcano. It has deposited quite a bit of loose volcanic material and it is also in a rain-heavy area, so when heavy rains hit the volcano that is going to be washing the deposits away into these mudflows which carry a lot of debris and rock. "They are extremely dangerous and deadly as well." ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What is a pyroclastic flow? By Paul Rincon, science editor, BBC News website A pyroclastic flow is a fast-moving mixture of gas and volcanic material, such as pumice and ash. Such flows are a common outcome of explosive volcanic eruptions, like the Fuego event, and are extremely dangerous to populations living downrange. Just why they are so threatening can be seen from some of the eyewitness videos on YouTube of the Guatemalan eruption. In one, people stand on a bridge filming the ominous mass of gas and volcanic debris as it expands from Fuego. Some bystanders only realise how fast it is travelling as the flow is almost upon them. The speed it travels depends on several factors, such as the output rate of the volcano and the gradient of its slope. But they have been known to reach speeds of up to 700km/h - close to the cruising speed of a long-distance commercial passenger aircraft. In addition, the gas and rock within a flow are heated to extreme temperatures, ranging between 200C and 700C. If you're directly in its path, there is little chance of escape. The eruption of Vesuvius, in Italy, in 79 AD produced a powerful pyroclastic flow, burying the Roman towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum under a thick blanket of ash. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ![]() Source: bbc.com
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| skibboy | 6 Jun 2018, 12:44 AM Post #2 |
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Evacuations after new eruption at Guatemalan volcano 15 minutes ago Emergency services in Guatemala are evacuating areas around the Fuego volcano after a new eruption sent lava spewing down its south side. At least 72 deaths have been reported since the volcano first erupted on Sunday, with many others missing. Authorities say more than 1.7 million people have been affected by the eruption, with more than 3,000 evacuated and many living in shelters. Villages on the slopes of the volcano were buried in volcanic ash and mud. Volcanologists said earlier on Tuesday that the initial eruption, which sent ash up to 10km (33,000ft) into the sky, was over for the near future. Eddy Sanchez, the head of Guatemala's National Institute of Seismology, had said there would be "no imminent eruption over the next few days". Emergency workers were still searching for bodies on Tuesday when the new eruption came. ![]() Volunteers and rescuers evacuate the disaster zone during Tuesday's eruption ![]() Journalists run during the second blast Why were so many people killed in the initial eruption? No evacuation alert was issued before the volcano erupted on Sunday, said Sergio Cabañas, the director of Guatemala's disaster prevention agency. He said that local residents had received training in emergency procedures but were not able to implement them because the initial volcanic activity happened too fast. Sunday's blast generated pyroclastic flows - fast-moving mixtures of very hot gas and volcanic matter - which descended down the slopes, engulfing communities including El Rodeo and San Miguel Los Lotes. Volcanologist Dr Janine Krippner told the BBC that people should not underestimate the risk from pyroclastic flows and volcanic mudflows, known as lahars. "Fuego is a very active volcano. It has deposited quite a bit of loose volcanic material and it is also in a rain-heavy area, so when heavy rains hit the volcano that is going to be washing the deposits away into these mudflows which carry a lot of debris and rock. "They are extremely dangerous and deadly as well." ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 'Like black rain from the sky' Londoner Faye Dunstan, manager of the Oxford Language Centre in Antigua, close to Fuego, described for BBC News the day the volcano erupted. "We were just sitting at home and then suddenly there was rain from the sky but it was black and it was lava ashes," the 29-year-old said. "No one really thought it was a big deal so everyone was out taking selfies. "But then we were driving and the police were stopping everyone from driving... People were coming out of their houses and restaurants to hose down all of the cars. There was lava ash everywhere. "But still no one really realised that it was that bad of a situation until later on Facebook when the news kept coming in. It started with seven people dying. The number rose to 25 and then 33. "In Antigua [a local city in Guatemala] people are collecting donations on street corners. Everyone has lava ash in their hair. There are schoolchildren everywhere because the schools are closed. "People in neighbouring villages are scared there will be an aftermath, but everyone is coming together. There are endless supplies of water, food and clothes. It's a big community effort. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Source: bbc.com
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| skibboy | 6 Jun 2018, 11:21 PM Post #3 |
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Guatemala volcano: Almost 200 missing and 75 dead 6 June 2018 At least 192 people are missing and 75 are dead as a result of the explosion of the Fuego volcano in Guatemala on Sunday, officials say. Villages on the slopes were buried in volcanic ash and mud. Rescue work on Tuesday was disrupted when a new eruption sent hot gas and molten rock streaming down the volcano's south side. More than 1.7 million people have been affected by Sunday's eruption, with more than 3,000 evacuated. Tuesday's explosion took many by surprise after volcanologists said the eruption, which had sent ash up to 10km (33,000ft) into the sky on Sunday, was over for the near future. Eddy Sanchez, the head of Guatemala's National Institute of Seismology, had predicted "no imminent eruption over the next few days". ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ A village wiped off the map Will Grant, BBC News, El Rodeo, Guatemala Boris Rodriguez has no-one to turn to now. He lost more loved ones in a single night on Sunday than many do in a lifetime. Mr Rodriguez's wife, both of her parents, his brother and sister-in-law and their children died when the Fuego volcano erupted. "I saw the children's bodies," he told me between sobs. "They were huddled together in the bed, like they were trying to hide from what was happening." If Mr Rodriguez, who is 25, were a solitary case, it would be heartbreaking enough. But most of his neighbours in the village of El Rodeo have similar stories of grief. The village was almost entirely wiped off the map. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ![]() Volunteers and rescuers evacuate the disaster zone during the latest eruption ![]() Journalists run during the second blast Why were so many people killed in the initial eruption? Almost 200 people remain unaccounted for, said AFP news agency, quoting Guatemala's Disaster Relief Agency. No evacuation alert was issued before the volcano erupted on Sunday, said the agency's chief, Sergio Cabañas. He added that local residents had received training in emergency procedures but were not able to implement them because the initial volcanic activity happened too fast. ![]() ![]() Sunday's blast generated pyroclastic flows - fast-moving mixtures of very hot gas and volcanic matter - which descended down the slopes, engulfing communities including El Rodeo and San Miguel Los Lotes. Volcanologist Dr Janine Krippner told the BBC that people should not underestimate the risk from pyroclastic flows and volcanic mudflows, known as lahars. "Fuego is a very active volcano. It has deposited quite a bit of loose volcanic material and it is also in a rain-heavy area, so when heavy rains hit the volcano that is going to be washing the deposits away into these mudflows which carry a lot of debris and rock. "They are extremely dangerous and deadly as well." ![]() Thousands have left their homes since the eruption Source: bbc.com
Edited by skibboy, 6 Jun 2018, 11:23 PM.
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| skibboy | 8 Jun 2018, 12:09 AM Post #4 |
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Guatemala volcano: Emergency agency 'failed to heed warnings' 7 June 2018 ![]() Despite the efforts of rescue workers, nearly 200 people are still missing Opposition politicians in Guatemala want the head of the emergency response agency (Conred) to be dismissed. They say Conred failed to heed advance warnings about Sunday's deadly eruption of the Fuego volcano. A senior opposition figure, Mario Taracena, said the government should investigate whether there was criminal negligence. Ninety-nine people are now known to have died since Sunday, and nearly 200 others remain unaccounted for. Villages on the slopes were buried in volcanic ash and mud after Fuego erupted. Subsequent smaller eruptions and the high temperatures of the rock and mud debris have made search teams' work extremely difficult. More than 1.7 million people have been affected, with more than 3,000 evacuated. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What is the emergency agency accused of? Analysis by the BBC's Will Grant in Guatemala The argument revolves around a crucial question: was the order to evacuate given clearly and with sufficient warning before Volcan de Fuego erupted on Sunday? The national institute for seismology and volcanology says that its conscience is clear, that it issued the relevant warning in plenty of time. It claims the responsibility for any failings lies with the civil emergency authority, Conred, which didn't then act on its warnings. It has been shown that Conred's Twitter feed as late as 11:00 on the morning of the eruption said that it wasn't yet necessary to evacuate. The organisation has denied it was to blame and that when it did issue the alerts, they were ignored. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What about the search operation? Of the 99 bodies recovered so far, only 25 have been identified. "We already have data with names and locations where there are missing persons and that number is 192," said Sergio Cabañas, the Conred head. ![]() Rescue workers have had to cope with dust and smoke Searches are continuing, but there are fears that heavy rain could cause fresh landslides of volcanic mud. Meanwhile the volcano is continuing to spew out ash and rocks. "The activity continues and the possibility of new pyroclastic flows in the next hours or days cannot be ruled out, so it is recommended not to remain near the affected area," the national institute for seismology and volcanology said. How are the survivors faring? There are 3,000 people being accommodated in temporary shelters out of the 12,000 who were evacuated from the area. Volunteers have been handing out food and other essentials to those affected, as well as to rescue workers. Mr Cabañas said that local residents had received training in emergency procedures but were not able to implement them because the initial volcanic activity happened too fast. ![]() Source: bbc.com
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| skibboy | 9 Jun 2018, 12:16 AM Post #5 |
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Guatemala volcano death toll rises![]() © AFP | The eruption of the volcano, located southeast of Guatemala City, was the strongest in four decades 2018-06-08 The death toll from the eruption of Guatemala's Fuego volcano has reached 109, officials said Thursday. The National Forensic Sciences Agency said morgues had received the remains of 109 victims of Sunday's eruption. The previous toll was 99. The agency said seven of the latest victims were in a temporary morgue installed close to the impact zone, in the now-devastated community of San Miguel Los Lotes in Escuintla, south of the capital Guatemala City. Another three victims were transferred to the capital's central morgue, having succumbed to their injuries while hospitalized. The eruption of the 3,763-meter (12,346-foot) volcano, located 35 kilometers (21 miles) southeast of Guatemala City, was the strongest in four decades. The volcano's eruption has left dozens of people injured and more than 12,000 evacuated, with over 3,600 in shelters, according to figures from the country's disaster agency. Authorities temporarily suspended rescue and recovery operations on Thursday in areas devastated by the volcano as heavy rainfall, still-hot volcanic material and additional explosions threatened to cause dangerous landslides. Source: france24.com
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| skibboy | 11 Jun 2018, 12:27 AM Post #6 |
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10 June 2018 For relatives of Guatemala volcano victims, an agonizing wait ![]() © AFP/File / by Henry MORALES | School teacher Milvia Lopez, standing in an improvised morgue in the Guatemalan town of Escuintla, shows pictures of some of her students who died or remain missing after the eruption of the Fuego volcano ESCUINTLA (GUATEMALA) (AFP) - At an improvised morgue in the Guatemalan town of Escuintla, dozens of people stand around in an anguished daze, clutching photos of their loved ones, hoping to recover their bodies for burial. This small town, some 35 kilometers (20 miles) southwest of Guatemala City, was nearly wiped off the map last Sunday by the violent eruption of the Fuego volcano and the crushing avalanches of earth, ash and glowing lava that followed. The eruption claimed at least 110 lives and left dozens missing, according to an official tally. "They are not animals, they are people," said Boris Rodriguez, 24, who managed to recover a dozen corpses shortly after one avalanche devastated the village of San Miguel Los Lotes. Along with many other mourners, he hopes the bodies, still in the morgue, will soon be returned to family members for burial. But some families are losing patience as authorities conduct the methodical process of identifying bodies in the makeshift morgue set up in a local school. Dozens of the dead are being kept there. Rodriguez has been biding his time at the morgue since Monday. Almost a week after helping recover the corpses of 10 relatives, they have yet to be formally identified. "It is simply too painful to pull those bodies out and not be able to keep vigil over them," he said, standing near a stack of coffins provided for families unable to afford one. The identification process is painfully slow, involving DNA testing and interviews with relatives. So far, only 41 bodies have been formally identified, according to the National Institute of Forensic Sciences. - Out of patience - Many residents say the tragedy could have been avoided if civil protection authorities had issued a timely evacuation alert. So said Enma Pamal, 46, who took the first available flight from the United States -- her home of 26 years -- upon learning of the catastrophe. Back in the now-devastated community where she was born, she discovered she had lost 18 relatives. Standing with her 27-year-old brother Gerson, a survivor, she said people were beginning to lose "patience, if not hope" as the identification process drags on. It was Gerson who recovered the bodies of his parents, brothers and other relatives from an evangelical church and an alleyway. Enma, who has provided medical examiners with DNA samples and details of the victims' moles, scars and other physical characteristics, was visibly annoyed by the delay. "They should stop telling us to be patient," she said. Also waiting in the morgue was 50-year-old teacher Milvia Rosales. She carried a poster with photos of students from the San Miguel Los Lotes school. Nearly 50 of them died or disappeared in the disaster. "It makes me sad," said Rosales, walking from one end of the building to the other to look for missing students. "I need my children," she added, choking back a sob. by Henry MORALES Source: france24.com
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| skibboy | 18 Jun 2018, 01:09 AM Post #7 |
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17 June 2018 Guatemala volcano search called off with nearly 200 unaccounted for ![]() © AFP/File | Guatemala's Fuego Volcano is seen emitting plumes of ash on June 11 GUATEMALA CITY (AFP) - Authorities on Sunday called off a search for the nearly 200 people missing since Guatemala's Fuego volcano erupted earlier this month, devastating the surrounding countryside. Officials have confirmed the deaths of 110 people as a result of the volcanic eruption on June 3, but another 197 people remain unaccounted for. A spokesman for the government's civil protection agency, David de Leon, said the agencies involved decided to end the search "due to the fact that the area is uninhabitable and of high risk." The volcano, which is located 35 kilometers (about 22 miles) southwest of the capital, is still generating four or five weak explosions an hour, sending a column of gray ash more than 3,000 feet (1,000 meters) into the sky. Additionally, rains were forecast for Sunday, posing a danger of volcanic mudflows. More than 3,600 villagers have been forced to take temporary refuge in schools and community halls. The suspended search had been focused on the hardest-hit communities of San Miguel Los Lotes and El Recreo. The only exception to the suspension is in the area of Alotenango, where volunteer firefighters continued to search for two comrades who went missing on the day of the disaster. Source: france24.com
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| skibboy | 28 Jun 2018, 02:23 AM Post #8 |
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27 June 2018 Guatemalan disaster chief accused in volcano deaths lawsuit ![]() © AFP/File | Guatemala's Fuego volcano erupting on June 3, 2018 GUATEMALA CITY (AFP) - Guatemalan lawmakers filed a manslaughter suit Wednesday against the head of the country's civil protection agency over its failure to warn people about the eruption of the Fuego volcano, which left at least 112 dead. Erwin Alvarez, of the opposition Parliamentary Front for Transparency, filed the complaint against Sergio Cabanas, head of disaster management agency CONRED, for manslaughter and breach of duty. He told reporters that Cabanas and others had failed "to order the evacuation of surrounding communities" on June 3 as the volcano erupted. He said the civil protection authority "did not take account in a timely manner" the warnings issued by the Institute of Volcanology about the intensity of the eruption. Officials have confirmed the deaths of 112 people, but scores more remain unaccounted for. Thousands were left homeless. The prosecutor's office is already working on a separate investigation over alleged negligence. CONRED spokesman David de Leon said the agency was cooperating with the investigation. Source: france24.com
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3:23 PM Jul 11