Thousands evacuated as Guatemalan volcano erupts, then stops

Thousands of Guatemalans are evacuating their homes as the Volcán de Fuego, or Volcano of Fire erupts again near the city of Antigua.

Guatemalan authorities declared a red alert and evacuated nearly 4000 people including more than 2,000 housed in shelters on Monday after the Fuego volcano erupted for the fifth time this year, sending bursts of ash and lava down the mountain before its activity decreased and then stopped.

The volcano has erupted repeatedly this year. In June, more than 100 people were killed in a violent eruption that spewed lava, ash and rocks over nearby villages.

The Institute of Volcanology's director Pablo Oliva said the volcano's activity level had dropped significantly by late Monday.

A spokesman for Guatemala's disaster management agency CONRED had earlier said it decided to evacuate the municipality of Escuintla and two other districts. Some 4,000 people were taken to temporary shelters as a precaution.

The spokesman, David de Leon, said the eruption became increasingly violent after it began Sunday morning, leading to fears for the safety of the thousands of people who live on the slopes of the 3,763 meter-high (12,246 feet) mountain.

A column of ash rose about 1,000 meters above the crater and areas west of the volcano, 35 kilometers (22 miles) from Guatemala City -- were under a barrage of gas-ash and fiery rocks, CONRED said.

As the volcano's activity fell back to normal parameters, evacuees were asked for the sake of cautiousness to return home on Tuesday by bus.

A previous eruption on October 12-13 was characterized by increasingly loud booms and lava flow. On that occasion, 62 people were evacuated from their homes as a precaution and a highway around the mountain was closed.

Many of those evacuated on Monday said they had feared a repeat of the deadly June eruption.

Activity inside Guatemala's two other volcanoes, Pacaya and Santiaguito, has increased in recent months but they have not entered the eruptive phase.