Over 1,000 Evacuated in
Ecuador due to Active
Volcano
At least 1,000 local
residents have been
evacuated due to the
intensified activity of
the Tungurahua volcano
in Ecuador, said the
authorities on Sunday.
The evacuation was a
precautionary measure as
the volcano has been
more active in these
days, and those
evacuated people are
allowed to return at
daytime to tend to their
crops and animals, an
emergency operation
official was quoted as
saying by local media.
However, local mayor
Juan Salazar said those
evacuated families have
asked the government to
resettle them in other
places instead of the
endangered zone.
Ecuador's Geophysics
Institute said the
volcano has spewed ash
and could be more
intense in the coming
days, but noting there
have been no lava flows.
Located 15 km east of
Ambato, Ecuador's fourth
largest city, Tungurahua
is a steep-sided
stratovolcano in the
Eastern Cordillera of
the Andes.
Meaning "throat of fire"
in the Quichua language,
the volcano has been
erupting off and on
since 1999.
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