Thousands of residents have fled Guatemala’s Volcano of Fire as red-hot rock and ash cascaded down its slopes towards an area devastated by an eruption earlier this year.
Explosions from the 3,763-meter high mountain shook homes with “constant sounds similar to a train locomotive” on Monday, according to Guatemala’s volcanology unit.
Searing hot debris spewed into the sky 1,000 metres above the crater and flows of hot rock and ash spread nearly 2 miles down one side of the volcano.
Hot blasts of pyroclastic material pushed down canyons on the slopes, while a column of ash role nearly 7,000 meters above sea level and drifted towards Guatemala City
The volcano is located among the departments of Escuintla, Chimaltenango and Sacatepequez in the south-central part of the country.
Hundreds of families heeded the call of disaster coordination authorities to evacuate 10 communities, piling into school buses for trips to shelters.
The national disaster commission said 3,925 people have been evacuated.
The Volcano of Fire is one of the most active in Central America and an eruption in June killed 194 people.
Another 234 people are officially missing, however organisations supporting the communities have insisted there are thousands missing.
It spewed more ash and hot rock in October, prompting warnings for nearby communities.
The biggest danger from the volcano are lahars - a mixture of ash, rock, mud and debris which can bury entire towns.
