43,000+ global companies doing business in the region 102,000+ key contacts related to companies and projects news and interviews about your industry in English Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker A strategic partnership between the government and private industry to improve the health of the local population A health worker performs a rapid diagnostic test for malaria Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress 2018Drone taken by the Guatemalan police force shows an area of Escuintla coated with a thick layer of brown ash as far as the eye can see.ESCUINTLA Guatemala -- New drone footage shows the extent of the destruction caused by the deadly eruption of the Fuego volcano in Guatemala shows the village Escuintla coated with a thick layer of brown ash as far as the eye can see The ash covering the stricken region was hardened by rainfall making it even more difficult to dig through the mud rocks and debris that reached to the rooftops of homes Firefighters said Wednesday the chance of finding anyone alive amid the still-steaming terrain was practically nonexistent 72 hours after Sunday's volcanic explosion sending clouds of smoke pouring into the air in a sign of the super-hot temperatures still remaining below the surface which firefighters said reached as high as 750 to 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit in some places local officials report that 99 people are dead and at least 192 are missing The Associated Press contributed to this report Myanmar earthquake: Working to meet the biggest needs 90% of our funding comes from individual donors. Learn how you can support MSF’s lifesaving care with a gift. We need your support to continue this lifesaving work MSF is caring for people suffering from Mesoamerican nephropathy Emilio has been a sugarcane cutter in La Gomera, in southern Guatemala’s Escuintla department Emilio went for his annual medical checkup He hadn’t been feeling well for a few months but was shocked to learn that he had kidney disease “We’re not allowed to hire you anymore,” his employer told him After seven years of working in the fields 31-year-old Emilio was not ready to stop working He didn’t know how else he’d be able to support his family Emilio was diagnosed with a chronic kidney disease of non-traditional origin, also known as Mesoamerican nephropathy (MeN). The disease causes a progressive loss of kidney function, affecting the kidneys’ ability to perform vital functions such as ridding the body of waste and toxic substances. MeN is endemic in Central America and has caused tens of thousands of deaths in the region in the last two decades.  While little is known about the cause of MeN, it’s thought to be predominantly linked to occupation, and there is growing evidence that points to strenuous work, heat, and insufficient rehydration as risk factors. “[It] differs from chronic kidney disease because it [predominantly] affects young men without a history of chronic disease, who generally work in agricultural crops, in extreme physical conditions, with high temperatures, in impoverished environments," said Dr. Frida Romero, a medical anthropologist with Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).    When the MSF team first met Emilio, he had been on dialysis for eight months. He had a jugular catheter, as he could not afford to get a fistula—a surgery that provides an access point for dialysis in the arm. Because La Gomera does not have any specialized renal disease services or tertiary care, Emilio and other MeN patients in the area have to travel long distances—sometimes several hours or even days—to receive appropriate treatment.   Some of the services are overcrowded, meaning that treatment can take a while. In addition, patients need to make multiple trips to get medicine or further tests. This is an exhausting process for people with MeN and causes additional emotional and economic strain. Tiredness is Emilio’s main complaint, but he also experiences insomnia and has lost weight.   MSF established its program in Escuintla to develop a simple yet comprehensive care model that assists with timely diagnosis and disease management to reduce the morbidity associated with MeN. The aim is for the model to be easily replicated. The multidisciplinary team has grown and evolved to meet the needs of people with the disease.     Survival rates for people with MeN at five years is low—around 10 percent. So, MSF has integrated palliative care. This component of MSF’s program in La Gomera is in its early stages, and the team has gone to great lengths to understand and adapt to patients’ needs and wishes. MSF teams also talks to families, considering them as an extension of the patient.   MSF’s team is working on creating comprehensive end-of-life care at home and identifying key actors in the community who would be willing to participate in this process of caring for and accompanying palliative patients. Training Ministry of Health workers in holistic palliative care is also necessary. “One of [our] core goals [is to] advocate for patients to have access to care or controlled medicines—including morphine—which are essential for pain management in palliative care,” said Cerro. “One day in the future, Emilio [may become] too tired to go to dialysis treatment,” said Cerro. “Before this moment, we still have time to explore Emilio’s worries and preferences concerning his end-of-life care. For [now], we will make great efforts to provide Emilio with decent and acceptable quality of care during progression of the illness. So that we all can be ready to face that situation together: Emilio, his family, and the palliative care team.”  Between August 2021 and June 2022, MSF carried out 2,376 screenings to detect MeN, reached 3,030 people in community activities, and provided multidisciplinary follow-up to more than 106 people who are in the most advanced stages of the disease. Haiti violence pushes MSF trauma hospital to its limits South Sudan: MSF strongly condemns deliberate bombing of its hospital ... Cuts in US nutrition aid must be restored, or tens of thousands of chi... © Médecins Sans Frontières 2025 Federal tax ID#: 13-3433452 Unrestricted donations enable MSF to carry out our programs around the world. If we cannot honor a specific request, we will reallocate your donation to where the needs are greatest. Censer lid (detail), Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Photo by Oswaldo Chinchilla, with permission. This presentation will focus on a group of objects properly called “temple censers," containers used to burn incense. The details carved into the containers depict temple superstructures and sometimes include elements of the basal platforms. These censers can be understood as models of actual temples (with higher or lower degrees of accuracy, simplification, idealization, or hyperbole). They offer a glance at the architectural conformation, ornamentation, religious symbolism, and even the ritual activities that were carried out in the Early Classic shrines of Escuintla. Early Classic censers from Escuintla, Guatemala, are among the most remarkable ceramic sculptures from ancient Mesoamerica. While the lack of provenance data for the large majority of examples hinders their archaeological study, centers conform a major corpus of information about the culture and religion of Pacific coastal peoples. This includes information from a critical period marked by intensive contact with the great city of Teotihuacan in highland Mexico. 2/23 Rescue workers search in El Rodeo one of the hamlets in the disaster area near the Fuego volcano in Escuintla 3/23 Picture of the Fuego volcano taken from Palin Nearly 200 people are missing and at least 75 have been killed since Guatemala’s Fuego volcano began erupting over the weekend 4/23 View of the damage caused by the eruption of the Fuego volcano in the village of San Miguel Los Lotes 5/23 Rescuers search for victims of the Fuego volcano in the ash-covered village of San Miguel Los Lotes 6/23 The front door of a home blanketed in volcanic ash carries a hand-written “Help” sign in the disaster zone near the Fuego volcano in the El Rodeo hamlet of Escuintla 7/23 Firefighters remove a burned corpse buried in volcanic ash in the El Rodeo hamlet of Escuintla 8/23 Members of the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (CONRED) carry the coffin of Juan Fernando Galindo who died in the Fuego volcano eruption in San Juan Alotenango 9/23 Mourners carry the coffins of seven people killed in the eruption of the Fuego Volcano in Alotenango 10/23 Family and friends mourn at the wake for seven victims of the eruption of Guatemala’s Fuego Volcano in the municipality of Alotenango 11/23 Volunteer firefighters carry the coffins of two small children who died in the eruption to a morgue 12/23 A police officer rests for a moment among ash-covered foliage during the search for survivors and bodies near the Fuego Volcano in Guatemala 13/23 The Fuego Volcano puffs outs a cloud of smoke and ash in the distance as a man pulls a cart near Escuintla 14/23 Volcán de Fuego erupts on Sunday The volcano less than 30 miles from Guatemala City has killed at least 25 people 15/23 Police in El Rodeo village 16/23 People flee El Rodeo village after the volcano’s eruption 17/23 A police officer carries a baby in El Rodeo village 18/23 In this image taken with a long exposure the volcano spews molten rock from its crater 19/23 Residents of several communities gather in a temporary shelter in Escuintla Rescuers were struggling to reach rural residents 20/23 The Fuego Volcano continues to erupt Monday as rescuers search for the missing 21/23 Relatives react as volunteers carry a coffin with the body of Sergio Vasquez on Monday in Alotenango 22/23 People flee El Rodeo village The runway of La Aurora International Airport had to be closed because of ash Print Reporting from El Rodeo Guatemala — Rescuers frantically dug through ash in Guatemala on Monday in a desperate search for survivors of a volcanic eruption that killed dozens rescuers combed through the remains of homes destroyed Sunday when cascading flows of volcanic matter erupted from Guatemala’s Volcano of Fire about 35 miles west of the capital Authorities said the volcano was unlikely to erupt again but a massive column of ash still hung in the sky Monday leading officials to close Guatemala’s international airport and urge residents to stay inside Rescuers searching the poor agricultural communities near the volcano found the bodies of the dead more often than they found survivors (Swetha Kannan / Los Angeles Times ) The official death toll announced by Guatemala’s disaster response agency was 62 but rescuers on the ground said the number of casualities was much higher according to local firefighter Luis Pineda a man who was treated for second-degree burns Volunteer firefighter German Padilla said there was a moment of hope when a survivor reported a cellphone communication from a person inside a home that had been in the lava’s path But when rescuers reached the home hours later they found the burned corpses of the entire family Residents stand outside a temporary morgue near the Volcan de Fuego (Luis Soto / Associated Press ) In El Rodeo bodies wrapped in tarps and blankets lay side by side on a dirt road as survivors urgently sought information about missing loved ones She wasn’t home when the lava swept into her community The lava came down and swept everything away.” Rescue workers walk on rooftops blanketed with heavy ash in Escuintla (Luis Soto / Associated Press ) The Volcano of Fire is one of Central America’s most active volcanoes The volcano also erupted earlier this year according to a statement from Guatemala’s seismology and volcanology institute the volcano shot a 3,000-foot-tall column of ash into the air this time and spewed lava that reached temperatures of 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit Ash from the volcano fell on Guatemala City and in the town of Antigua rocky debris and water — gushed down onto the communities that dot the side of the volcano Video showed lahar slamming into and partly destroying a highway bridge bean and corn farms were destroyed by the lava But as he waited at an evacuation center in El Rodeo “What are we are going to do to feed our children?” kate.linthicum@latimes.com Twitter: @katelinthicum Special correspondent Gamazo reported from El Rodeo, Guatemala, and staff writer Linthicum from Tijuana. Cecilia Sanchez in The Times’ Mexico City bureau contributed to this report. 12:30 p.m.: This article has been updated with a higher death toll. 11:10 a.m.: This article has been updated throughout with staff reporting, higher death toll. This article was originally posted at 8:10 a.m. Kate Linthicum is a foreign correspondent for the Los Angeles Times based in Mexico City. Politics World & Nation California Subscribe for unlimited accessSite Map 43,000+ global companies doing business in the region. Analysis, reports, news and interviews about your industry in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Eleven days after the Fuego volcano rained down on the Guatemalan village of San Miguel Los Lotes, a backhoe ripped the roof off one of the homes buried by ash, revealing a corpse in the still-hot dust. "It's my sister Lola," said Eufemia Garcia Ixpata, a 48-year-old fruit vendor who lost dozens of family members in the eruption. Mexican volunteer rescue workers grabbed their shovels and rushed in to recover the body from the rubble and dust. Garcia ran to find a sheet of paper and a marker to prepare a name tag before the body was taken to a grade school that was being used as a makeshift morgue. She had lost her family and her home, and had been sleeping in a school room with other survivors. Reuters photographer Carlos Jasso accompanied her for seven days. Getting up at 5 a.m., she jumped out of a narrow blue folding bed, and washed one of only two changes of clothing that she had left before bathing. She gathered her hair into a ponytail and set out to look for her lost and buried family. Fito, her boyfriend of eight years, was her only companion. "You see, last Sunday, we found remains of my mom. We found one of the children yesterday. So, we are getting results," she said. At her mother's house, she had found only a tooth and a pair of bones. The feet of Garcia are seen as she searches for her family. Garcia outlines her land while searching for her family. Garcia stands beside a fridge containing the human remains found at the house of her father-in-law. Rescue workers search the house of one of Eufemia Garcia's missing sisters. Garcia cries on the phone while searching for her family. Garcia takes a ride with other residents after a day spent searching for her family. Residents help excavate human remains found at the home of the father-in-law of Garcia. A rescue worker holds a tooth found amongst the remains of the house owned by Eufemia Garcia's sister. Garcia looks at papers while searching for her family. Garcia observes soldiers carrying human remains found at her house. Garcia reacts after a day searching for her family. Every day, she made her way up the mountain slope to where Los Lotes used to be, waiting for one of the bulldozers tasked with clearing the area to arrive. She pointed down at the strange, new ground where half of a tree peeked out. "This was my house," Garcia said as she walked across the gray desert, pointing out where her mother used to live, and where the homes of her sisters and in-laws had stood. Everything was buried. And still, the volcano smoldered. An alarm sounded, warning of another potential wave of hot ash, lava fragments, and gases exploding from the volcano and rollingdown the mountain, swallowing everything in its path. Whenever those alarms suspend the search for more bodies, Garcia returns to the morgue or checks the hospitals. The same routine, every day. She eats as an afterthought, or when an aid worker shoves a bowl of food in front of her. Guatemalan rescue workers had only searched during the first three days after the tragedy, calling off efforts as the volcano continued to rumble and hot vapors melted the soles of their shoes. That was when Garcia decided to search on her own. She had no goggles to protect her eyes, rarely wore a mask on her face, and walked impatiently in the rubble, in sandals. "The volcano has calmed down. It is nothing to worry about, because everything that it had to blow has already been blown out. So now, with the permission of our Lord and the volcano, we are working," she said. Fuego had slept for 40 years, but on Sunday, June 3, it ejected tons of earth, ash and colossal stones that buried hundreds of homes and left at least 112 people dead. In the early days after the eruption, Garcia thought she had lost all her children. However, as the days passed, three of her six children, 31, 22 and 19 years old, plus a granddaughter, appeared at different shelters. Four of her nine brothers that she feared were dead also turned up alive. Some called her on the phone when they found out that she was looking for them, while she found others in hospitals. But the bodies of three of her children remained missing. "I will finish my search when I find them," she said, drying her tears. During the seven days that Reuters accompanied Garcia, she had found one body in the house of her former father-in-law, two at her sister's house, and the partial remains at her mother’s home. Unknown Maya artist,Tiquisate, Escuintla region, Pacific coast, Guatemala. Mold-Impressed Tripod Vessel with Ballgame Scene, 400–700 CE. Slip-painted ceramic, 5 ⅞ x 5 ⅜ inches. Denver Art Museum Collection: Gift of Dr. M. Larry Ottis and Nancy B. Ottis, 1984.616. For similar scenes, see 1971.417 and 1980.237. For Jaina-style ballplayers, see 1986.615, 1986.617, 1986.621, 1986.622A-B, and 1985.635. There was no time to eat. Sunday family lunches were interrupted, the food left on the table. Children abandoned toys, and clothes still hung on lines in backyards. Animals died petrified. Guatemalan authorities reacted slowly to signs of the Fuego volcano's impending eruption on June 3, contributing to one of the most tragic natural disasters in recent Guatemalan history. The volcano rumbled to life early that Sunday. By midday, it was spewing ash in smoking columns miles high that then fell, dusting a wide swath of the Central American country. But with the mountain's rumbles and the first ash showers, many villagers made a fatal bet to stay put, gambling that luck that had protected them for decades would hold once again. In the afternoon things took a turn for the worse. Tons of ash propelled by scalding, toxic gases poured down Fuego's flanks. These "pyroclastic flows" hit much faster, more lethal speeds than lava, dragging trees and giant rocks down onto villages in their path. By the time most families in the worst-hit hamlets of El Rodeo and San Miguel de Los Lotes knew what was happening, they only had time to run, if that. "My family was having lunch, they left the plates of food and stopped eating and fled," said Pedro Gomez, a 45-year-old welder. "They took nothing but their clothes on their backs." Now, everything in the previously lush, bright green landscape is coated in thick layers of sepia-colored volcanic ash, giving the place the eerie feeling of a ghost ship. Where once there was life, there is heat, dust and a lingering smell of sulfur. In one home, the pages of a Bible are singed. Outside, cattle lay dead. A bass drum lay abandoned. In kitchens, there was food in pots ready to be served. At least 110 people have died and close to 200 are thought buried under the rubble in the hamlet on the fertile lower slopes of the volcano. Fuego - Spanish for "fire" - rises between the regions of Sacatepequez, Escuintla and Chimaltenango about 30 miles (50 km) from Guatemala City, the nation's capital. Rescuers searching for bodies walked on the roofs of houses as if they were floors, digging down into buildings where they have found only corpses of those who stayed behind. Only a few dogs, chickens, rabbits and cats survived. As the burning volcanic matter rushed at them, some escaped on foot, others by car. "I took out the pickup truck and escaped with a lot of neighbors when we saw the smoke," said Alejandro Velasquez, 46, a farmer. Others with still less time ran through bushes and leaped across barbed wire and wooden fences to reach the main road of the town of Escuintla, near Los Lotes. A dead cow is seen in an area affected by the eruption. Clothes covered with ash hang on washing lines. A refrigerator lies inside a kitchen of a house. Toys covered with ash lie on top of a roof of a house. Many lost 10 to 50 relatives each, descendants of intertwining generations of a small families who settled in Los Lotes more than 40 years ago. They refuse to give up hope of finding relatives - or at least their remains. "My entire family is missing," said Jose Ascon. The young man argued with police who had temporarily halted rescue efforts after more flows from the eruption. Page unavailable.This page either does not exist or is currently unavailable From here you can either hit the "back" button on your browser to return to the previous page, or visit the ABCNews.com Home Page. You can also search for something on our site below. Print Reporting from Escuintla Guatemala — Two days after Guatemala’s Volcano of Fire erupted and killed dozens of people sending lava down its sides toward the communities below and forcing emergency crews to suspend rescue operations Rescue efforts already had been hampered by a lack of power and hazardous conditions according to the country’s disaster relief agency The smoldering terrain was so hot that it melted the rubber soles of shoes forcing rescue workers to lay out wooden planks to walk on Many were having difficulty breathing and navigating debris to get to areas that need to be searched “Access to the villages is very difficult,” said one worker Authorities ordered evacuations of the surrounding communities which became a scene of chaos as fleeing residents clogged the roads by the Cantil river!” Edward Garcia yelled as he ran off with his family Guatemalan authorities said 72 people have been confirmed dead as a result of Sunday’s midday eruption The toll is expected to rise when rescuers make their way to hillside settlements that have yet to be searched crews were combing through the hardest-hit villages in search of victims Helicopters evacuated people from areas where rescue workers had not set foot Amid the army of workers are hundreds of volunteers assisting with rescue and recovery efforts “We’ve come to help out of sympathy for the friends that have died,” said Gilberto Antonio Sac a 20-year-old volunteer in the village of El Rancho In the rural community of San Miguel Los Lotes emergency crews combed through homes and dug through layers of ash including four children and their pregnant mother survivors there desperately searched for missing relatives in various shelters as well as in several morgues including makeshift facilities set up as bodies were being discovered William Chavez was crying because he couldn’t find his brother “He doesn’t appear anywhere and nobody is giving me a reason,” Chavez said said he has been unable to find his sister and nephews Hernandez said he never expected the eruption to be so destructive As of Tuesday, only 17 bodies had been identified, according to Guatemala’s National Institute of Forensic Sciences Most of the victims were from the city of Hunapu in the state of Escuintla where 47 of the 54 bodies had yet to be identified Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales has called for three days of mourning Loved ones wept over caskets lined up in the main park of the town of San Juan Alotenango The steep volcano rises 12,346 feet above sea level and sits about 25 miles west of the capital One of Central America’s most active volcanoes it has long emitted wisps of ash and gas every 15 to 20 minutes Sunday’s eruption was the biggest since at least 1974 and especially deadly having caught many living near it by surprise It spewed billowing clouds of ash into the sky and sent a mixture of lava and ash that turned homes into ovens and left a landscape of mangled cars More than 3,000 people have been displaced Hundreds were injured and dozens more remained missing It said the volcano eruption has affected a total of 1.7 million people Settlements surrounding the base of the volcano saw the worst of the devastation A firefighter carries the body of a child recovered near the volcano in Escuintla (Oliver de Ros / Associated Press ) Special correspondent Gamazo reported from Escuintla and Times staff writer Vives from Los Angeles ruben.vives@latimes.com 8:15 p.m.: This article was updated with staff reporting about the eruption and the stalled rescue effort. This article was originally published at 8:20 a.m. Ruben Vives is a general assignment reporter for the Los Angeles Times. A native of Guatemala, he got his start in journalism by writing for The Times’ Homicide Report in 2007. He helped uncover the financial corruption in the city of Bell that led to criminal charges against eight city officials. The 2010 investigative series won the Pulitzer Prize for public service and other prestigious awards. You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience ADRA volunteers provide water to an emergency response team in a community covered by lava and ash in Escuintla in the south central region in Guatemala hours after the Volcano of Fire erupted and covered homes and killed dozens of people on June 3 The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Guatemala with the help of its church member volunteers continues to distribute water and food to families displaced by the deadly volcano eruptions in the south central region of Guatemala The Volcano of Fire began spewing lava and ash on June 3 leaving more than 75 dead and more than 200 persons missing More than 1.7 million people have been affected by the eruption Over 3,000 persons were evacuated and more than 2,600 persons are in shelters Hundreds more are stranded inside their homes across the rural communities of Escuintla ADRA volunteers visit a home in a village in Escuintla encouraging them to seek safer shelter from volcano eruptions “From the very first day the volcano erupted our local emergency response team met with local authorities to visit the affected villages near the volcano to encourage people to seek safe shelter,” said Gustavo Menéndez who has been coordinating the ADRA response from Guatemala City some 63 kilometers from Escuintla “Our main concern is to encourage people to seek shelter although hundreds fear they will lose all their belongings if they leave their homes” said Menéndez blankets and hygiene supplies have been delivered to shelters all collected from churches across several church regions in Guatemala Church leaders reported that 124 Adventist families were affected Some 101 of these families lost their crops Funds have been disbursed from the Inter-American Division’s Emergency Response Funds to assist the families blankets and hygiene kits will continue to be collected throughout churches in the eight conferences and missions across Guatemala and three more trucks are expected to deliver supplies by the end of the week to help those in shelters A sac of goods is being delivered by a church member volunteer in Escuintla ADRA Guatemala will target some 1,500 families who have lost their crops in the rural communities of San Miguel los Lotes El Rodeo and La Reina in the Escuintla Department with food rations and hygiene kits in the next two days “Special attention will be given to single mothers and disabled persons as well as elders in these communities,” Menéndez said ADRA International is committed to providing funds to assist families in rebuilding their lives after the basic needs are provided in coordination with the local ADRA Guatemala office “It will take more than a year for these farming families to grow plantains so we need to help them restore their economic situation.” A group of volunteers pose for a picture before sorting out food and water for the displaced families in rural communities near the Volcano of Fire in south central Guatemala funds have been sent from ADRA South American Division To learn more about ADRA Guatemala and the Adventist Church’s assistance to those affected by the Volcano of Fire eruptions, go to AdventistasGUA on Facebook © 2025 General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Find out about the most important news and events happening in our division Guatemala (AP) — Frightened people living near the Volcano of Fire fled with their children and few possessions when fresh flows of super-heated debris were announced taking no chances after authorities gave them little time to evacuate before a deadly eruption over the weekend.' and reduced a once verdant area to a moonscape of ash with a suitcase in front of her and her 11-year-old son and their terrier mix Cara Sucia by her side But after seeing what happened Sunday A column of smoke rose from the mountain Tuesday afternoon and hot volcanic material began descending its south side prompting new evacuation orders for a half dozen communities and the closure of a national highway The country's seismology and vulcanology institute said the smoke billowing from the volcano's top could produce a "curtain" of ash that could reach 20,000 feet (6,000 meters) above sea level police and journalists hurried to leave the area as a siren wailed and loudspeakers blared Among those fleeing was retiree Pantaleon Garcia who was able to load his grandchildren into the back of a pickup with a jug of water and some food They were heading to the homes of relatives in another town When the panic set off by the new evacuations became clear bags of clothing and even small dogs in their arms Many walked along the side of the highway because vehicular traffic had stalled on the only road out By Tuesday the images of Sunday's destruction were familiar to everyone What was once a collection of green canyons hillsides and farms was reduced to grey devastation by fast-moving avalanches of super-heated muck that roared into the tightly knit villages on the mountain's flanks Two days after the eruption, the terrain was still too hot in many places for rescue crews to search for bodies or — increasingly unlikely with each passing day — survivors Lilian Hernandez wept as she spoke the names of aunts, uncles, cousins, her grandmother and two great-grandchildren — 36 family members in all — missing and presumed dead in the volcano's explosion A spokesman for Guatemala's firefighters said that once it reaches 72 hours after the eruption there will be little chance of finding anyone alive Joel Gonzalez complained that police wouldn't let him through to see his family's house in the village of San Juan Alotenango where his 76-year-old father lay buried in ash along with four other relatives the Volcán de Fuego – or Volcano of Fire – erupted Sunday afternoon at 3 PM local time with pillars of fire extending 10,000 meters above sea level hot gas and volcanic matter destroyed houses and crops killing and injuring scores of people Over 10,000 have been evacuated and 1.7 million people are affected The government has proclaimed a state of disaster in Chimaltenango in south central Guatemala with the intention “to mitigate basic services and avoid additional major consequences.” The densely populated towns of Los Lotes and El Rodeo are those most affected by the volcanic eruption These towns are made up of farmers and small landholders but the population density has aggravated the seriousness of the catastrophe leaving many people isolated from support and their way of working and living Ground Zero of Guatemalan emergency relief efforts in Escuintla The Church has opened shelters and a collection centre to receive essential emergency items like essential medicines, clothes and food for affected families. The Caritas Guatemala team is working in the shelters to help the people In one of the shelters in Escuintla is Julia Gonzales who lived with her family in the “La Reina” community in El Rodeo in Escuintla “We got used to listening to small explosions under the ground and sometimes the sky over us turned grey and we thought it was normal because we lived near to the volcano in a few seconds the sky became totally dark we saw the ash coming and knew because of the big noise that something very bad was happening,” she said Julia’s grandaughter Angela being comforted by her aunt Angela has lost her parents and a sister in the eruption Julia’s daughter Maria Cristina had gone out with her husband and baby daughter to sell pineapples that Sunday She had left behind her other three daughters with Julia They ran up the mountain to look for her sister but after some minutes they returned saying that a river of volcanic lava my son-in-law and my little girl died in that river of lava my granddaughters lost their two parents” said Julia Since Sunday ash hangs in the air 20 km from the epicentre of the volcano and is expected to spread with the wind On 5 June again moderate to strong explosions erupted from the volcano with ash at 5,000 m in the east and northeast direction In the evening new lava flows made its way in the direction of the Las Lajas ravine The volcano could continue to erupt so people are urged to stay away from the vicinity Over 2,500 people are in temporary shelter Twelve hostels in Escuintla and one in Sacatepéquez have been set up The Caritas Diocese of Zacapa has also established hostels in three churches and is collecting food and necessities while also receiving donations The Caritas Guatemala team is working in the shelters provided by the dioceses to evaluate and provide the necessary attention to the people housed in these spaces The National Caritas Office of Guatemala is open as a collection centre and financial accounts have been set up to accept both national and international donations The Church has opened shelters and a collection centre to receive essential emergency items like essential medicines Bishop President of Caritas Guatemala is calling on the cooperation of the Caritas confederation to serve these distressed families with psychosocial support construction of decent housing and other basic needs He also applauds the impressive solidarity that has been demonstrated by the people some of whom have given their own lives to save others Pope Francis assured his closeness to the wounded and to those who are “working tirelessly to help the victims while asking the Lord to “bestow upon them all the gifts of solidarity The Caritas confederation stands in solidarity with Caritas Guatemala and the people of Guatemala for a fast recovery GET INVOLVED .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By The Oregonian/OregonLiveView full sizeStephanie Yao/The Oregonian/2006Irma Diaz son Luis and daughter Monica (background) walk with relatives through the streets of Escuintla immigration officials deported the three from Oregon to Guatemala Embassy in Guatemala City to complete the deportation process and we will fight to survive here." ESCUINTLA inches from the back window of the crowded van In Guatemala City's late-afternoon rain a stale air hangs humid and heavy with diesel fumes is overwhelmed by the sea of cars honking around them The risk the mother took 13 years ago to travel illegally from Guatemala to the United States with her two young children has backfired They have lost a decade-long battle for political asylum and overnight the Diazes' life in Oregon has ended With 400 pounds of luggage and $1,000 in savings cast out of the comfortable world they had built in Beaverton alongside father Luis Diaz Sr. The five lived in a modest double-wide with a fish pond out front Monica planned to be an elementary-school principal The Diazes arrive in Guatemala as strangers in their homeland thrown back into a life they don't remember and don't know how to live; a place where people are afraid at all hours of violent thieves; where crossing the street often takes as much courage as crossing Interstate 5; where no one will understand all that was lost As the driver speeds from Guatemala City's international airport the family is jolted in their seats driven into a scene that repeats itself mile after mile: Cars bolt along streets painted red and blessed by images of saints and black-skinned Christs are crammed with passengers like human cattle and belch clouds of black smoke protecting concrete storefronts with shotguns the three had lived typical American lives: 39-year-old Irma baked cakes and worried whether her kids were challenged enough at school Luis worked two part-time jobs to pay for college pamper his girlfriend and fix up his red Honda Civic had a dog named Lucky and had her nails done every couple weeks can you please drive a little bit slower?" Irma half-begs and here you carry all that we have left." The family returns to their hometown of Escuintla 30 miles and a grueling two – or three-hour bus ride southwest of Guatemala City An outdoor market anchors the town of 70,000 – Guatemala's third-largest city and its commercial center for sugar cane and livestock cumbias blare and men hang from moving buses hollering: decayed beef and garbage mingle with those of detergent Children with saggy cloth diapers toddle barefoot where stray dogs traipse towers overs Escuintla's squat concrete skyline the Diazes enter the city's narrow roads and arrive at a house owned by Irma's sister The single mother has offered to house the family for a few days until they find work and a new home Mirian's home of about 900 square feet is mustard yellow with bars crossing the windows Some head west to the Pacific Ocean port of San Jose others head east to Escuintla's center new voices – gather in a living room just large enough to fit two small couches and a constantly babbling television "I don't know how to act around them," Luis says The young man wants to be appreciative and funny so his relatives won't think he's a spoiled American But he doesn't know what to say or whom to trust stifling: about 80 degrees with nearly 80 percent humidity Monica stretches out on a bed shared with her mother suitcases packed with a lifetime of clothes and pictures Last night she had spoken to her husband over the phone and he told her a Portland woman is willing to help the family find work in Guatemala City The woman had heard about the Diazes on the news and called her daughter a Portland native who runs Hannah's Hope I need you," she calls out to Monica and Luis I need you to call the lady about the jobs Monica gestures toward the window and digs into her sheets "I don't want to go out there," she says swallows flock to rest on low-hanging power lines on a busy Escuintla street They do the same when death parades slowly by toward a cemetery burial – or when it strikes brutally without warning violence is as common as the trash littering the street Over the course of three nights the Diazes learn that lesson two blocks from where Irma travels to wash the family's clothes a veterinarian is dragged from his car and shot in front of his girlfriend two men are shot dead near Irma's father's bike repair shop while attempting to rob a bank a car strikes a teenager walking just yards from their house lands in the rainy street 20 feet from where he was struck hard enough to knock off his tennis shoes "You gotta be careful here," Luis says "I'm scared that something might happen without us even provoking it "I want to work hard so I can earn it and enjoy it not work hard and then have someone ruin it for me in a minute." The return to Guatemala has transformed Luis his greatest charge was taking care of himself He spent most of his time working or with friends a slight mustache and saggy Polo shorts plays the part of father and husband He speaks sternly to his mother and sister and is alert to every detail affecting the family: strangers the girl whose good looks and throaty laughter turned heads at Westview High School When the family fought to remain together during their last months the girl is mostly mute and sticks out – an Abercrombie & Fitch billboard in a slum Monica complains that her opinions seem to "not really matter here." When relatives ask why Monica refuses to speak the Diazes arrive early in the morning in Zone 10 a wealthy Guatemala City neighborhood with clean streets and tall barbed wire-topped walls Irma prayed the rosary and sobbed to a song on the radio: delivered lunch to her: a Burger King Whopper and McDonald's fries with honey on the side It was that dependency and a determination to hold together her family that drove Irma to slip illegally across the U.S border in 1993 with her 7-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son left Guatemala after receiving threats for organizing a union at a paper mill He changed his plans to hide out for six months when he learned he was eligible to apply for political asylum Guatemalan authorities denied Irma's request for a tourist visa a few months later Irma boarded a Guatemalan tour bus for Mexico City she planned to find a smuggler – a "coyote" – and sneak into California and a six-hour walk – she called Luis from Los Angeles manicured facility of brick buildings that is home to more than 120 orphans toddlers and young children call for attention from incubators the daughter of the Portland woman who heard about the Diazes Petite and energetic with a short blond bob "I can't imagine two American kids living in Escuintla," Radu says in English recounting how difficult it had been to leave Northeast Portland for Romania as an 18-year-old missionary She offers them work: Luis can be a graveyard-shift messenger driving paperwork back and forth to the U.S Monica and her mother can take care of newborns every other day If Irma breaks away from her kids and works as a live-in caretaker for pregnant women she will earn a few extra Guatemalan quetzales she and Monica will make about $8 a day while Luis will earn about $12 a day The jobs will only work if the family moves to the capital I can't hire you," Radu tells them but only in the most dangerous of the capital's 21 zones Irma wipes her tears and tightens her fist a frustrated Monica rises from her seat and whispers to her mother She wants to end the conversation and continue privately at Mirian's house the Diazes have still not found a place to live That morning a woman from the orphanage calls to tell the family that Luis' position must be filled "We have to find something," Irma urges her children the family boards a public bus to Guatemala City They plan to check out two boarding houses recommended by orphanage workers and Mirian Following two bus rides filled with rattling windows creaking floors and drivers who weave in and out of the opposite lane barely missing head-on collisions The colonial center is known for its presidential palace and the activity of criminals: pickpockets Tourists are urged to walk in groups through the central market Embassy does not allow Peace Corps volunteers to stay in the zone's hotels a filthy man in handcuffs cries out to two police officers: "For the love of God I didn't do anything." Another man loiters on a street corner touching himself Wet from the constant rain and exhausted by the three-hour bus ride Monica and Luis enter a rustic orange building The boarding house is dark and smells of mildew A man leads the family to rooms filled with stained mattresses and posters of half-nude women posing with pouty lips "We're in a rut," Monica says The second place is cleaner but too expensive at $300 a month a stern Honduran with a fondness for parakeets guides them through her three-story guesthouse the family returns to Escuintla beat and disappointed This need to want to come out of this hurricane that's grabbed me the family returns to the capital and signs a six-month lease on a two-bedroom Zone 1 apartment Water only flows on certain days and the windows are cracked but it allows Luis to begin work at Hannah's Hope on Monday Irma begins taking care of newborns and Monica starts looking after preschoolers at the orphanage "We still haven't found home," Irma says "We still haven't found what we lost and I don't know if we'll ever adapt to all this Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices killing at least 25 1/23 Rescue workers run for cover as the Fuego volcano in Guatemala blows more clouds of ash in the El Rodeo hamlet of Escuintla Print Reporting from Guatemala City — A fiery volcanic eruption in Guatemala sent lava flowing into rural communities killing at least 25 as rescuers struggled to reach people where homes and roads were charred and blanketed with ash The death toll rose late Sunday with 18 bodies found in the community of San Miguel Los Lotes disaster agency spokesman David de Leon said adding to the seven victims previously confirmed elsewhere earlier in the day and authorities have said they feared the death toll could rise with an undetermined number of people unaccounted for or “volcano of fire,” exploded shortly before noon lava began flowing down the side of the mountain director of the country’s seismology and volcanology institute said the flows reached temperatures of about 1,300 degrees or flow of pyroclastic material and slurry slamming into and partly destroying a bridge on a highway between Sacatepequez and Escuintla Video images on Sacatepequez television showed a charred landscape where a lava flow came into contact with homes Three bodies lay partially buried in ash-colored debris from the volcano which is about 25 miles from Guatemala City Other videos from local media showed residents walking barefoot and covered in muddy residue “Not everyone was able to get out. I think they ended up buried,” Consuelo Hernandez, a resident of the village of El Rodeo, told the newspaper Diario de Centroamerica worked to recover bodies from the still-smoking lava Firefighters said they had seen some people who were trapped but that roads leading to the area were cut off by pyroclastic flows and that they had been unable to reach it the rescue effort was ordered suspended until early morning municipal fire agency spokesman Cecilio Chacaj said killed when lava set a house on fire in El Rodeo village Two children burned to death as they watched from a bridge the volcano’s second eruption this year One more victim was found in the streets of El Rodeo by volunteer firefighters Guatemala’s disaster agency said 3,100 people had evacuated nearby communities and falling ash was affecting about 1.7 million of the country’s 15 million residents Shelters were opened for those forced to flee “Currently the volcano continues to erupt and there exists a high potential for [pyroclastic] avalanches of debris,” the disaster agency said via Twitter the director of the seismology and volcanology institute It added that he said authorities began to send bulletins on the situation starting at 11:30 a.m "A partir de las 11:30 horas se comenzaron a generar los boletines para informar la situación del volcán de Fuego" Eddy Sánchez, Director de INSIVUMEH pic.twitter.com/Zoc1CImz4B Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales said he would issue a declaration of a state of emergency to be approved by Congress and urged people to heed warnings from emergency officials. Ash was falling on the Guatemala City area as well as the departments of Sacatepequez, Chimaltenango and Escuintla, which are in south-central Guatemala around the volcano. Streets and houses were covered in the colonial town of Antigua, a popular tourist destination. Aviation authorities closed the capital’s international airport because of the danger posed to planes by the ash. The conical Volcan de Fuego reaches an altitude of 12,346 feet above sea level at its peak. 11:05 p.m.: This article was updated with a report of 18 additional fatalities. 8:55 p.m.: This article was updated with firefighters suspending rescue efforts. 8:20 p.m.: This article was updated with details from Guatemala’s disaster agency and President Jimmy Morales. This article was originally published at 7:10 p.m. EL RODEO – Rescue workers struggled in perilous conditions to find bodies under rivers of ash and mud that swept down from Guatemala's Fuego volcano on Monday as the number of fatalities from an eruption that partially buried buildings rose to 62 Structures and trees at the base of the Fuego volcano were completely coated in brown and gray A policeman wearing a blue surgical mask stumbled in the muck as he ran from a cloud of ash pouring down the slope behind him 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 of coffee farms on the volcano's slopes said the death toll increased as more bodies were pulled from the ash around the village of El Rodeo Local news media reported more bodies had been found though it was unclear whether more people died in a second eruption on Monday morning The task of pulling out bodies was halting after the new eruption and an apparent landslide on the southern slopes of Fuego triggered fresh evacuations "They gave the emergency order to evacuate and we all went running," one rescue volunteer said on television We're going to wait a half hour before entering again." A Reuters witness near the volcano said more people had been evacuated beyond a five-mile perimeter from the site after the latest explosion one of several active volcanoes out of 34 in the Central American country a UNESCO world heritage site that has survived several volcanic eruptions The latest activity is mostly on the far side of the volcano Around 300 people have been injured since the eruption on Sunday that sent columns ash and smoke 6.2 miles into the sky CONRED shared a photo showing the flows of gas and mud sweeping down a mountainside and across a broad valley "The landscape on the volcano is totally changed everything is totally destroyed," government volcanologist Gustavo Chigna said on local radio The agency also launched an online registry of missing people The eruption showered sand and ash on coffee plants across as much as 6,890 acres causing an estimated loss of 0.91 percent of Guatemala's coffee production the country's national coffee association said and the full extent of the damage was not yet clear (ANS - Escuintla) - After the tragic eruption of the Fuego volcano on 3 June the entire Guatemalan population has mobilized to help the survivors recover the bodies of the victims and support the relief effort Before a tragedy that according to the latest official data has caused 99 victims and forced 3,319 people into the reception centers of different groups of the population and of neighboring countries has been surprising it is difficult to determine the exact number of reception centers and shelters activated so far companies and associations that have opened their doors to collect aid and bring them to people housed in the shelters The actions of the Catholic Church in dealing with this catastrophe have been of various kinds was at the scene of the tragedy at Monday sunrise to bless and accompany all the rescuers to give the last sacraments to the victims .. The Episcopal Conference also issued a statement of solidarity and call to action The material support that is provided to all the affected areas is varied with humanitarian aid centralized by the Caritas of Guatemala which in coordination with the Caritas of Escuintla is distributing all the goods being received several accounts have been opened for supporters wishing to make donations have been preparing food for rescuers and taking food to the areas struck by this tragedy the members of "Eventos Católicos" yesterday one of the villages most affected by the eruption collections during all the Masses of Sunday Most churches have started collection centers and some parish halls have become shelters The Youth Ministry students collect medicines and various items and manage the collection center opened in the youth center the University ministry has taken responsibility for the collection organization and despatch of all the contributions received ANS - “Agenzia iNfo Salesiana” is a on-line almost daily publication the communication agency of the Salesian Congregation enrolled in the Press Register of the Tibunal of Rome as n 153/2007 This site also uses third-party cookies to improve user experience and for statistical purposes By scrolling through this page or by clicking on any of its elements 2:16:49 AM EDTThe "Volcan de Fuego," or Volcano of Fire blows a thick cloud of ash seen from Palin (Moises Castillo/AP Photo)Guatemala’s Volcano of Fire is erupting and has prompted authorities to evacuate nearly 300 families as of Monday while warning that another 30,000 people in the area could be at risk “The effusive eruption is accompanied by incandescence Local authorities assisted in the evacuation of the towns of Las Lajitas and El Porvenir Shelters were set up in San Juan Alotenango and Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa in Escuintla as more people began to evacuate The government also suspended school activities in local areas and closed National Route 14 which links the southern part of the country with the colonial city of Antigua The flow of volcanic material is currently weak to moderate but expected to increase just 33 miles southwest of the nation’s capital the ominously named Volcano of Fire is one of the most active in the Americas A furious eruption in June 2018 covered the nearby village of San Miguel Los Lotes in molten rocks and ash burying hundreds of people alive—194 bodies were recovered while an additional 234 remained missing The eruption—dubbed “the colossus”—led to the evacuation of more than 3,000 people Escuintla has a very high level of seismic activity Based on data from the past 25 years and our earthquake archive back to 1900 there are about 295 quakes on average per year in or near Escuintla Escuintla has had at least 2 quakes above magnitude 7 since 1900 which suggests that larger earthquakes of this size occur infrequently probably on average approximately every 60 to 65 years The quake had a shallow depth of 64 km (40 mi) and was not felt (or at least not reported so) Escuintla was shaken by 18 quakes of magnitude 4.0 or above There have been also 9 quakes below magnitude 2.0 which people don't normally feel 2025 at 3.44 am local time (America/Guatemala GMT -6) The quake had a very shallow depth of 29 km (18 mi) and was reported felt by some people near the epicenter Puerto San Jose has a very high level of seismic activity there are about 419 quakes on average per year in or near Puerto San Jose Puerto San Jose has had at least 2 quakes above magnitude 7 since 1900 The quake had a very shallow depth of 16.4 km (10 mi) and was not felt (or at least not reported so) Puerto San Jose was shaken by 1 quake of magnitude 4.1 Municipio de Nueva Concepcion has a very high level of seismic activity there are about 104 quakes on average per year in or near Municipio de Nueva Concepcion Municipio de Nueva Concepcion has had at least 2 quakes above magnitude 7 since 1900 Municipio de Nueva Concepcion has about 80 quakes of magnitude 3 or higher per year (Mag 4+: 25.5 quakes per year) Municipio de Nueva Concepcion was shaken by 3 quakes of magnitude 4.0 or above The strongest earthquake in Municipio de Nueva Concepcion in the past 30 days had a magnitude of 4.3 and occurred 2 weeks ago: Mag. 4.3 earthquake Offshore Guatemala - Apr 19, 2025 - writeAge(1745088092)A moderate magnitude 4.3 earthquake occurred in the North Pacific Ocean near the coast of  Guatemala around noon of Saturday 2025 at 12.41 pm local time (America/Guatemala GMT -6) The quake had a shallow depth of 68 km (42 mi) and was not felt (or at least not reported so).