At least 99 people are dead and almost 200 are missing following the eruption of Guatemala's Fuego volcano. About 12,000 people have been evacuated.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/L. Soto
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Guatemala's forensic agency, Inacif, on Wednesday said the Fuego volcano eruption had left at least 99 people dead and 192 people were still missing.
Sergio Cabanas, director of the country's disaster agency, Conred, said it was unclear if any of the missing were among those already identified as dead by Inacif.
The super-heated debris that killed victims has left many bodies unrecognizable and DNA testing and other methods will be needed to identify them.
Firefighters on Wednesday said the chance of finding anyone alive amid the still-steaming terrain was almost nonexistent 72 hours after Sunday's volcanic explosion.
Many who died are believed to have burned to death or suffocated from the poisonous gases that were released in an eruption on Sunday. The devastation was said to be exacerbated by pyroclastic flow — clouds of high-temperature gas, water, ash and mud that move much faster than lava.
Guatemala: Evacuation order sets off panic
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Explosive behavior
Meanwhile, there were fears that volcanic activity was getting stronger. Rescue teams, police, journalists and others were evacuated from six localities around the Fuego volcano as more molten material began to flow on Tuesday afternoon.
Eight to 10 moderate explosions per hour had been reported by the INSIVUMEH vulcanology institute during Tuesday morning as activity increased in the volcano.
The INSIVUMEH institute said the ash and mud that started to flow down the slopes of the Volcano of Fire on Tuesday afternoon would be carried by the wind and blown ash could rise to 6,000 meters (20,000 feet) above sea level, posing a threat to air traffic. The main international airport at Guatemala City had been closed on Monday.
As the sirens sounded on Tuesday, residents outside the evacuation area were also concerned as little or no warning had been given by authorities ahead of Sunday's eruption.
Guatemala's 'Volcano of Fire' eruptions kill dozens
At least 75 people have been killed since Guatemala's Volcan de Fuego first erupted with little warning over the weekend. Almost 200 people are still unaccounted for as rescuers continue to battle dangerous conditions.
Image: Reuters/L. Echeverria
Sudden eruption
Guatemala's Volcan de Fuego, or "Volcano of Fire," suddenly began erupting on Sunday, taking authorities and local residents by surprise. The 3,763-meter (12,346-foot) volcano has been spewing out clouds of dense ash and molten rock fragments.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/dpa/S. Billy
Dozens killed
Mourners in San Juan Alotenago carry the bodies of loved ones who lost their lives in the disaster. The eruptions have killed at least 75 people so far and injured another 46 people, with half of them in serious condition, officials said.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/L. Soto
Searching for nearly 200 missing people
Working against an almost black-and-white backdrop, rescue workers attempt to dig out an area covered in a thick layer of volcanic ash. Officials said 192 people are still unaccounted since the volcano began erupting. Rescuers have been hampered by inclement conditions, destroyed roads and new volcanic flows.
Image: Reuters/L. Echeverria
Ash-covered communities
The normally lush, green communities in the danger zone around the volcano, like this one in Escuintla, were covered in a thick layer of volcanic ash following the eruptions. The first eruption on Sunday largely destroyed the villages of El Rodeo and San Miguel Los Lotes.
Image: picture-alliance/Zuma Press/National Police Of Guatemala
Evacuations trigger panic
Over 3,000 people in the area around the volcano had to be evacuated, with some 1.7 million people in total affected by the disaster. Frightened residents fleeing the area on Tuesday clogged the roads and took few possessions with them, concerned about warnings of fresh volcanic flows.
Image: Reuters/L. Echeverria
Dangerous pyroclastic flows
Even days after the initial explosion, certain areas were still too hot for rescuers to search for survivors or bodies. Besides ash, the volcanic eruption triggered "pyroclastic flows." These fast-moving flows bring with them dangerous gas emissions, fiery rock fragments and boiling-hot mud.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/R. Abd
Guatemala on high alert
Rescuers also managed to save some dogs and birds from communities affected by the eruptions, although many cows and other livestock were found dead. Several days after the Volcano of Fire first erupted, Guatemala remained on high alert, with President Jimmy Morales calling on locals to remain calm.
Image: Reuters/L. Echeverria
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An estimated 1.7 million people have been affected by the eruptions.
National rescue coordination agency CONRED is in charge of the evacuations and finding shelter for people displaced from their homes. It showed how the volcanic material has been flowing through the region.
The Volcano of Fire is located about 16 kilometers (9.9 miles) west of the Spanish colonial capital Antigua. It exploded on Sunday in its biggest eruption in more than 40 years. A state of emergency has been declared in the departments of Chimaltenango, Sacatepequez and Escuintla.
Three days of mourning were declared in Guatemala following the first eruption, and Pope Francis sent a telegram of condolence on Tuesday with his "consolation to families who are weeping for the loss of their loved ones, as well as spiritual closeness to the wounded and those who are working to help."
