GUATEMALA — At least 62 people have been killed with dozens more missing after Mount Fuego erupted on Sunday in Guatemala, according to officials.
Villages located along the mountainside were buried in volcanic ash, mud and rocks during the 16-hour eruption, the BBC reported.
Mt. Fuego is a stratovolcano, which are classic-cone shaped peaks built up from layers of ash and lava rocks, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
Stratovolcanoes have violent eruptions that launch columns of ash and scorching rock miles into the air. When these clouds collapse, they form deadly pyroclastic flows — avalanches of hot rocks, gas and volcanic ash.
According to the BBC, around 1.7 million people have been affected by the eruption in four regions.
According to the head of the National Disaster Management Agency Sergio Cabañas, the town of El Rodeo was completely "buried."
The towns of Alotenango and San Miguel Los Lotes were also affected. Temporary shelters have been set up for around 3,000 evacuated residents.
