Ecuador on alert as volcano spews ash

Ecuador has declared an amber alert after the Tungurahua volcano started spewing lava again, forcing closure of schools and a widening evacuation of residents. A plume more than 7km high could be seen emerging from the volcano in central Ecuador. Over the past 12 years the Tungurahua has erupted periodically but this is its first significant activity this year.

The towns of Cusua, Bilbao and Chacabuco are among those worst affected by the eruptions. Residents were not prepared for the burst of lava and gas as the volcano erupted after several explosions Monday. The air was thick with lava ash around the mountain, in the Cordillera Oriental region of central Ecuador's Andean region south of Quito. Numerous residents were treated for breathing problems and lava injuries but there were no immediate reports of fatalities.

News media said more communities might be evacuated. The numbers of those displaced were not immediately available.

The institute recorded at least six explosions inside the crater before the eruptions began. It said the first activity began April 20. Tungurahua, ‘Throat of Fire’ in the indigenous Quichua language, is 16,479 feet above sea level, and is about 80 miles southeast of Quito. It has been active since 1999, when volcanic activity restarted.