2018 Volcán de Fuego eruption

Volcán de Fuego (Spanish for "Volcano of Fire") is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and is located 44 kilometres (27 mi) from Guatemala City.[1] It is a stratovolcano that has had more than 60 eruptions since 1524, including a major eruption in 1974 which produced pyroclastic flows and ashfall that destroyed the region's winter harvest and caused roof collapse and infrastructure damages in nearby towns.[2] The 3 June 2018 eruption is one of several eruptions of Guatemalan volcanoes that have caused many deaths, including the Santa María eruption of 1902[3] and the Santiaguito dome collapse of 1929, which killed hundreds.[4][5]

The most recent eruptive phase of Fuego began in 1999 and continues to the present day.[6] Since 1999, Fuego has had several large eruptions, including an eruption on 13 September 2012, in which authorities recommended the evacuation of 33,000 people.[7] In fact, approximately 5,000 people evacuated, and there were no reported deaths.[6] The last eruption of Fuego prior to 3 June 2018 happened on 31 January - 1 February 2018.[8]

The population around the volcano is estimated to be 54,000 within 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) and more than 1 million within 30 kilometres (19 mi).[9]

Fuego began to show increased explosive activity from around 06:00 on the morning of Sunday 3 June 2018.[10] The eruption continued to get stronger throughout the morning of 3 June, as explosions produced an ash plume that reached 15.2 km altitude and pyroclastic flows descended several of the ravines around the volcano.[8] Most of the injuries and fatalities happened in the towns of San Miguel Los Lotes and El Rodeo, located south-east of Fuego's summit in the Escuintla department.[11][12][13] San Miguel Los Lotes, located 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) north of El Rodeo, was covered with ash and rocks from pyroclastic flows.[3][14] The eruption prompted the evacuation of about 3,100 people from nearby areas. Ashfall forced the shutdown of La Aurora International Airport, Guatemala's primary airport,[15][3] where members of the Guatemalan military were deployed to remove ash off the runway;[16]. Although some flights were canceled, the airport was reopened on 4 June.[17]

The eruption produced an ash column approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) in height.[18] Pyroclastic flows—fast-moving clouds of hot gas and volcanic matter[19]—caused many of the casualties and crop damage.[20][21] INSIVUMEH, Guatemala's national scientific monitoring agency, warned on 4 June that further pyroclastic flows and lahars (volcanic mudflows) were possible.[3] Heavy rainfall during and after the eruption produced large and fast-moving lahars. Volcanic material buried several of the affected villages and cut off roadways.[3] The poor weather and volcanic deposits complicated the recovery operation, and all rescue efforts were suspended overnight on 3 June.[22] The volcanic material also destroyed an estimated 21,000 acres (8,500 hectares) of corn, bean, and coffee crops.[23]

At least 190 people were killed,[30] 57 injured, and 256 remained missing as of 30 July 2018[31]—including a number of children, a CONRED officer,[32] firefighters,[33] and a policeman[34]—although local residents estimate that approximately 2,000 people are buried[34] and a local organization said that up to 2,900 may have died.[35] Due to the intense heat and burn injuries, many bodies were planned to be identified with anthropological methods and DNA.[36][37] As of 18 June 2018, up to 159 cases entered the morgues,[38] with 85 of the victims having been identified.[39]

Former President Jimmy Morales ordered three days of national mourning in response to the disaster[3] and visited some of the affected towns and villages in person on 4 June.[44] Messages of support, solidarity, and offers of assistance were given by various world leaders.[16]

The Coordinadora Nacional para la Reducción de Desastres (CONRED), Guatemala's disaster relief agency, reported that more than 1.7 million people have been affected by the eruption and its ashfall.[12] A state of emergency was declared in the departments of Escuintla, Chimaltenango, and Sacatepéquez.[45]

Organizations such as GoFundMe, Cruz Roja Guatemalteca, and The National Federation of Cooperatives are being used to raise physical and monetary donations to be dispersed to those affected by the eruption.[46] GoFundMe created a centralized hub for all verified campaigns that are providing aid to those affected.[47]

Severely wounded individuals are scheduled to receive medical attention in the United States and Mexico, and an emergency medical team from Shriners Hospitals for Children would travel from the United States.[48]

On 7 June, opposition politician Mario Taracena, in an address to Congress, accused the executive secretary of the National Coordination for Disaster Reduction (CONRED) of mismanaging the disaster warnings. The director of the National Institute for Seismology, Vulcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology also came under criticism for mismanagement and lack of warnings, a claim they refuted.[53] Taracena also called for a government investigation into potential criminal negligence.[54] A lawmaker told reporters that seismologists warned of the eruption eight hours before the main eruption, however, three hours later the national disaster agency CONRED called for voluntary evacuations only.[55][56] Mandatory evacuations were ordered at 3pm local time, after some communities were already covered by volcanic flow.[57]

• List of large volcanic eruptions in the 21st century
• List of large volcanic eruptions of the 20th century
• List of volcanic eruptions by death toll