An active volcano in Ecuador, named Cotopaxi, could potentially threaten 325,000 people. President Rafael Correa declared a state of emergency in the wake of the volcanic activity.

While Cotopaxi’s last major eruption was in 1877, according to BBC reports, a recent eruption Saturday could affect citizens in the surrounding cities only 30 miles away.



It may have been more than 100 years since Cotopaxi’s last major eruption, but it’s Ecuador’s most active volcano and second tallest, at 19,347 feet.

Cotopaxi’s most recent activity was when it shot ash a few kilometers in the air Saturday according to CBC reports. This spit of activity started Friday when the volcano shot ash seven miles high.

Top disaster official Maria del Pilar Cornejo told reporters that the effects of ash shooting from the volcano is dependent on winds in the area.

Cornejo added that the biggest threat to those around the volcano is the potential for fast-moving mud and rock current.

After the initial rumbling, hundreds of people were evacuated from Cotopaxi’s slopes and Correa placed a prohibition on journalists from reporting information that wasn’t from official sources.

Correa claimed this prior restraint to be necessaryto guarantee the safety of citizen’s around the volcano. According to Decree 755 signed by Correa Saturday, information reporters use must come from the security ministry’s official bulletins. This was done to rumors and misinformation according to the government.