Guatemala’s Fuego volcano erupted Sunday, killing 25 people and injuring 20 more as locals fled and ash blanketed surrounding communities, CNN reports.
Guatemala President Jimmy Morales has declared three days of national mourning as residents recover what they can and try to locate the dead.
“Not everyone escaped, I think they were buried,” Consuelo Hernandez said, according to CNN. “We saw the lava was pouring through the corn fields and we ran toward a hill.”
Residents ran away from the volcano covered in soot and ash after Fuego shot clouds around four miles into the sky, the Associated Press reports. (RELATED: Red Alert Issued In Hawaii As Massive Plume Billows From Kilauea)
Hundreds were forced to evacuate quickly. Several died after lava surrounded their house. Two children burned to death while watching the volcanic eruption from a nearby bridge, according to the AP.
Rain slowed rescue operations and forced emergency officials to postpone operations throughout the night.
At least six people are killed as Guatemala’s Fuego volcano erupts for the second time this year https://t.co/aFnJvHpN6h pic.twitter.com/dGTbUF02Go
— AFP news agency (@AFP) June 4, 2018
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.