Sitting on the floor of the community shelter where he and his family found refuge, Manuel Lopez breathed a sigh of relief Monday after his close call with Guatemala's deadly Fuego volcano.
Barefoot, with his wife and two-month-old daughter sleeping on a blanket by his side, the 22-year-old recalled the terror that gripped his family as a tide of boiling mud and ash suddenly swept into their hillside home.
"It came in through the doors, through the windows. We were hot. We couldn't breathe. Everything was boiling," he said.
"We managed to escape by breaking down walls, fences, then climbing walls, and we got to where there were firefighters and soldiers," said Lopez. His other daughter, aged 4, had to be treated in hospital for leg burns.
The floor of the community hall in Escuintla, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of the Guatemalan capital, is temporary home to 272 people, including many children, who managed to outrun a surge of fiery rock and scalding mud when Fuego exploded on Sunday.
Everyone here comes from the village of El Rodeo, which was devastated by the pyroclastic flow that cascaded down the volcano's southern flank.
Guatemala's disaster response agency says at least 25 people were killed and some 3,000 inhabitants had to be evacuated. An unknown number of people are still missing.
"I was scared. This has never happened before," said Cleotilde Reyes, a woman in her sixties who was born in the area and is used to Fuego's frequent activity. She said she managed to escape at the last minute with her daughter and two grandchildren in a neighbor's van.
-Giant ash column-
"I do not dare to go home," said 36-year-old Erick Ortiz, who said he had sensed the danger and left his home with his wife and two young children as the towering column of smoke and ash plunged the area into darkness.
"I was scared seeing the darkness increase and we decided to leave before we could be trapped," he said.
Authorities said the thick black column reached an altitude of 2,200 meters (7,200 feet) and covered tens of square kilometers in ash, forcing the country's international airport to shut down.
The eruption had subsided Monday but a massive search operation, involving Civil Protection units, police and soldiers, was continuing.
Locals were still fearful that the volcano could erupt anew.
On the floor of the community center, Efrain Gonzalez, 52, says he cannot rest. His wife and one-year-old daughter managed to flee with him, but his 10-year old son and his other daughter, just four years old, are missing.
"This time we were saved. In another (eruption) no," he said.
Sitting on the floor of the community shelter where he and his family found refuge, Manuel Lopez breathed a sigh of relief Monday after his close call with Guatemala’s deadly Fuego volcano.
Barefoot, with his wife and two-month-old daughter sleeping on a blanket by his side, the 22-year-old recalled the terror that gripped his family as a tide of boiling mud and ash suddenly swept into their hillside home.
“It came in through the doors, through the windows. We were hot. We couldn’t breathe. Everything was boiling,” he said.
“We managed to escape by breaking down walls, fences, then climbing walls, and we got to where there were firefighters and soldiers,” said Lopez. His other daughter, aged 4, had to be treated in hospital for leg burns.
The floor of the community hall in Escuintla, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of the Guatemalan capital, is temporary home to 272 people, including many children, who managed to outrun a surge of fiery rock and scalding mud when Fuego exploded on Sunday.
Everyone here comes from the village of El Rodeo, which was devastated by the pyroclastic flow that cascaded down the volcano’s southern flank.
Guatemala’s disaster response agency says at least 25 people were killed and some 3,000 inhabitants had to be evacuated. An unknown number of people are still missing.
“I was scared. This has never happened before,” said Cleotilde Reyes, a woman in her sixties who was born in the area and is used to Fuego’s frequent activity. She said she managed to escape at the last minute with her daughter and two grandchildren in a neighbor’s van.
-Giant ash column-
“I do not dare to go home,” said 36-year-old Erick Ortiz, who said he had sensed the danger and left his home with his wife and two young children as the towering column of smoke and ash plunged the area into darkness.
“I was scared seeing the darkness increase and we decided to leave before we could be trapped,” he said.
Authorities said the thick black column reached an altitude of 2,200 meters (7,200 feet) and covered tens of square kilometers in ash, forcing the country’s international airport to shut down.
The eruption had subsided Monday but a massive search operation, involving Civil Protection units, police and soldiers, was continuing.
Locals were still fearful that the volcano could erupt anew.
On the floor of the community center, Efrain Gonzalez, 52, says he cannot rest. His wife and one-year-old daughter managed to flee with him, but his 10-year old son and his other daughter, just four years old, are missing.
“This time we were saved. In another (eruption) no,” he said.
