Over 1,000 evacuated in Ecuador due to active volcano

Source: Xinhua | 01-07-2008 14:05

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.

Editor:Zhang