Volcano erupts in Ecuador
The Tungurahua volcano spews a column of ash as seen from Ambato, Ecuador, Friday, April 4, 2014. Photo: APThe Tungurahua volcano just outside of the Ecuadorian capital Quito has erupted, sending a plume of ash up to 10 kilometers into the sky.
The Tungurahua volcano created the huge cloud on Friday in an eruption that lasted just five minutes.
Geophysical Institute of Ecuador\’s National Polytechnic School that continues to monitor the situation, tremors do not abate, reports that pyroclastic material, a fast-moving current of hot gas and rock, flowed out of the northern and northwestern regions of the volcano. Five moderate explosions were also registered on Friday.
Activity has been building at the Tungurahua volcano 130 kilometers south of the capital Quito since early February, and on Friday experts reported a loud explosion "that lasted for five minutes" and an expulsion of ash.
"For now ashfall is mild," said the National Secretariat for Risk Management on its Twitter account.
Tungurahua, which in the Quechua language means "throat of fire," has been erupting since 1999.
Tungurahua is one of eight active volcanoes in Ecuador, a country that is part of the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire which makes it prone to seismic and volcanic events.
In early February, a series of explosions rocked the volcano, spewing columns of ash into the air that reached as far as Quito.
In 2006, six people died in a village destroyed by lava from Tungurahua.
Multiple villages are located in the vicinity of the volcano, which stands at 5,029 meters (16,500 feet).
In 2006, six people died in a village destroyed by lava from Tungurahua.
Tungurahua, which has been erupting since 1999, is one of eight active volcanoes in Ecuador, a country that is part of the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire that makes it prone to seismic and volcanic events.
Source: Agencies
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