Fuego volcano eruption: Guatemala evacuates villages

Guatemala has declared an Orange Alert, the country's second-highest emergency level, after Volcán de Fuego (Volcano of Fire) entered a powerful eruptive phase, triggering evacuations, road closures and widespread emergency measures in several regions.

Fuego’s eruption on Monday morning had intensified by nightfall, with lava flows and huge plumes of ash rising about six kilometres (four miles) into the air.

There have been several such mass evacuations in recent years because Fuego erupted.

Guatemalan authorities ordered evacuations Monday as the Fuego volcano erupted with increasing intensity, sending towering clouds of ash and gas into the sky and prompting officials to clear nearby communities as a precaution.