Villagers flee Ecuador's 'Throat of Fire'
Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 7:35 am
PINGUE, Ecuador (Reuters) -- Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano spewed ash, gas and molten rock for a second day Saturday, driving hundreds of evacuated villagers into nearby schools and churches in search of refuge.
Tungurahua, located about 80 miles south of Quito, has been increasingly active since May, when it blew out big clouds of hot gas and prompted officials to renew a limited state of emergency in nearby towns.
Civil defense authorities and police continued to evacuate seven small villages around the volcano, whose name means "throat of fire" in the indigenous Quichua language.
Civil defense authorities said more than 3,600 people have been evacuated from the highest risk areas near the volcano.
"We need water, food and medicine ... but we are lucky we had no deaths or people hurt," said Juan Salazar, the mayor of Pinipe County on the outskirts of the volcano.
A rain of molten rock in the past two days that set fire to trees and grass marks the volcano's strongest recorded activity since it began erupting in 1999, local scientists said.
Lava flows blocked roads and destroyed bridges while people fled their farming hamlets tucked in the folds of 16,460-foot Tungurahua.
"I have lived here my whole life and I have never seen something like this," said Alvira Marino, a corn farmer standing next to the road leading out of her village.
Patricio Ramon, chief scientist of the local geophysics institute, said the volcano "is entering a new and different stage with more violent releases of magma and energy."
"We need to be prepared for the worst ... even though the volcano's activity decreased on Saturday," Ramon said.
During a four-hour visit to local villages, President Alfredo Palacio said the country needs to prepare "for the worst-case scenario" and promised $5.7 million in relief funds for the region.
Many fleeing villagers took refuge at schools and churches in the town of Pingue, just a few miles distant.
"I had to run for my life," said Wilber Rodriguez, 24, lying on a mattress with his wife and infant son in a school classroom. "But I have to go back... Everything I have is in my village."
Rosa Bonilla, a 72-year-old farmer, said she fled with her family after her home was almost knocked down by repeated volcanic explosions.
"I though my house was going to come down on us," Bonilla said. "I pray we can return soon."
The volcano's crater is little more than a mile south of the tourist resort town of Banos whose 17,000 residents were forced to evacuate in 1999 after loud explosions and huge plumes of ash billowed out of its crater.
Other emergency centers were set up in Banos to receive any residents fleeing from nearby villages.
Tungurahua, located about 80 miles south of Quito, has been increasingly active since May, when it blew out big clouds of hot gas and prompted officials to renew a limited state of emergency in nearby towns.
Civil defense authorities and police continued to evacuate seven small villages around the volcano, whose name means "throat of fire" in the indigenous Quichua language.
Civil defense authorities said more than 3,600 people have been evacuated from the highest risk areas near the volcano.
"We need water, food and medicine ... but we are lucky we had no deaths or people hurt," said Juan Salazar, the mayor of Pinipe County on the outskirts of the volcano.
A rain of molten rock in the past two days that set fire to trees and grass marks the volcano's strongest recorded activity since it began erupting in 1999, local scientists said.
Lava flows blocked roads and destroyed bridges while people fled their farming hamlets tucked in the folds of 16,460-foot Tungurahua.
"I have lived here my whole life and I have never seen something like this," said Alvira Marino, a corn farmer standing next to the road leading out of her village.
Patricio Ramon, chief scientist of the local geophysics institute, said the volcano "is entering a new and different stage with more violent releases of magma and energy."
"We need to be prepared for the worst ... even though the volcano's activity decreased on Saturday," Ramon said.
During a four-hour visit to local villages, President Alfredo Palacio said the country needs to prepare "for the worst-case scenario" and promised $5.7 million in relief funds for the region.
Many fleeing villagers took refuge at schools and churches in the town of Pingue, just a few miles distant.
"I had to run for my life," said Wilber Rodriguez, 24, lying on a mattress with his wife and infant son in a school classroom. "But I have to go back... Everything I have is in my village."
Rosa Bonilla, a 72-year-old farmer, said she fled with her family after her home was almost knocked down by repeated volcanic explosions.
"I though my house was going to come down on us," Bonilla said. "I pray we can return soon."
The volcano's crater is little more than a mile south of the tourist resort town of Banos whose 17,000 residents were forced to evacuate in 1999 after loud explosions and huge plumes of ash billowed out of its crater.
Other emergency centers were set up in Banos to receive any residents fleeing from nearby villages.
