AMN
At least 200 people are missing and more than 75 killed since Guatemala’s Fuego volcano began erupting over the weekend. Officials today said, search for bodies in mountain villages destroyed by the eruption was progressing slowly due to the nature of the terrain and the way the volcano released large amounts of boiling mud, rock and ash down the mountain. Disaster relief agency chief Sergio Cabanas told reporters that the prospects of finding any more survivors is poor.
The 3,763-metre volcano erupted early Sunday, spewing out towering plumes of ash and a hail of fiery rock fragments with scalding mud. Authorities said more than 1.7 million people had been affected by the disaster.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life and the significant damage caused by the eruption. He said the UN is ready to assist national rescue and relief efforts.