Thousands evacuated as Guatemala volcano erupts

(ROUGH CUT ONLY - NO REPORTER NARRATION)

Guatemala's Fuego volcano erupted on Thursday (September 13), spewing smoke and ash into the sky and forcing the evacuation of thousands of people, local emergency services said.

Guatemala's CONRED emergency agency reported the volcano, 40 km (25 miles) southwest of the capital Guatemala City, erupted in the early afternoon, sending a cloud of ash one km (half a mile) above the crater.

Some 8,000 people have been evacuated and an additional 23,000 are awaiting evacuation in towns surrounding the massive volcano.

A 2010 eruption at Pacaya, one of Guatemala's four active volcanoes, covered Guatemala City 25 miles (40 km) to the north with a layer of ash, closing the airport and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of families.