At least 65 killed as Guatemala's Fuego volcano erupts

Jane Onyanga-Omara | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Guatemala volcano eruption forces thousands to flee Scores of people were killed when the Volcán de Fuego erupted in Guatemala.

At least 65 people were killed when a volcano erupted in Guatemala, sending lava flowing into villages and leaving homes and roads blanketed with ash.

Authorities fear the death toll could rise further because many people are unaccounted for. President Jimmy Morales has announced three days of mourning.

Volcán de Fuego (Volcano of fire) — one of the most active volcanoes in Central America — is located about 27 miles from Guatemala City.

National Disaster Management Agency chief Sergio Cabañas told local radio that a lava stream changed course to head toward the village of El Rodeo, the BBC reported.

"Unfortunately El Rodeo was buried, and we haven't been able to reach the La Libertad village because of the lava, and maybe there are people that died there, too," he said.

More than 3,100 people evacuated nearby communities, and the eruption was affecting an area with a population of about 1.7 million people. Shelters were opened for those forced to flee.

Guatemala City’s international airport reopened Monday after it was closed by falling ash from the eruption.

Hundreds of rescue workers were helping survivors and recovering bodies from the lava's path of destruction, while some areas were inaccessible as roads were cut off by the flow. Some firefighters were pictured weeping as they left the scene of the destruction.

Videos showed a fast-moving flow destroying a bridge on a highway between Sacatepequez and Escuintla and barefoot residents covered in muddy residue.

“Not everyone was able to get out. I think they ended up buried,” Consuelo Hernandez, an El Rodeo resident, told the Diario de Centroamerica newspaper.

“Where we saw the lava fall, we ran to a hillside” to escape, she said.

Israel, an ally of Guatemala, said it delivered food, blankets and medicine to help people affected by the eruption.

Contributing: Doyle Rice, USA TODAY; The Associated Press