The number of fatalities from a massive volcano eruption in Guatemala rose to 62 on Monday, an official in the Central American country said.
Only 13 of the dead have been identified so far, Mirna Zeledon, a spokeswoman for Guatemala´s National Institute of Forensic Sciences told Reuters.
The eruption of Fuego - Spanish for "fire" - on Sunday was the biggest in more than four decades, forcing the closure of Guatemala´s main international airport and dumping ash on thousands of acres (hectares) of coffee farms on the volcano´s slopes.earlier Twenty-five people have been killed and 296 others injured in Guatemala as a highly active volcano near the country's capital erupted for the second time this year, authorities said Sunday.
About 1.7 million people have been affected by the eruption and more than 3,000 evacuated, the Guatemalan government tweeted.
Firefighters in Guatemala said there were reports of some people being trapped by the deadly eruption, but they have been forced to call off rescue efforts until morning for safety concerns.
Fuego volcano, located about 50 km west of the capital of Guatemala City, exploded around noon local time and lava began flowing down in the afternoon.
According to a preliminary report from the National Coordination for Disaster Reduction of Guatemala (CONRED), the eruption is "the strongest one recorded in recent years."
CONRED said the eruption has caused a column of ash more than 11 km above sea level, and generated strong rumblings with waves that caused vibration in roofs and windows at a distance of 20 km. The civil aviation authority of Guatemala announced a temporary closure of operations at Guatemala City's international airport due to the presence of volcanic ash.
According to vulcanologists, eruption records of Fuego Volcano, one of the country's most active volcanoes, date back to 1542.
At its fiercest, the volcano could spray ash all the way to the country's southern neighbors of El Salvador and Honduras.
