Costa Rica volcano eruption chokes towns in smoke and ash

Television channels showed the footage of hundreds of people flocking to hospitals with breathing and skin problems

The Calbuco volcano erupts near Puerto Varas, Chile, Wednesday, April 22, 2015. The volcano erupted billowing a huge ash cloud over a sparsely populated, mountainous area in southern Chile
The Calbuco volcano erupts near Puerto Varas, Chile, Wednesday, April 22, 2015. The volcano erupted billowing a huge ash cloud over a sparsely populated, mountainous area in southern Chile
AFPPTI San Jose
Last Updated : May 21 2016 | 11:08 AM IST


A volcano was erupted near the capital of Costa Rica, choking surrounding communities with smoke and ash.

In the capital San Jose, 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the Turrialba volcano, the air reeked of sulphur as dust and ash coated buildings and vehicles.

"It seems to me to be the strongest (Turrialba) eruption in the past six years," volcanologist Gino Gonzalez said in televised comments yesterday.

He spoke to media near the site of the eruption, where a vast cloud of grey smoke was billowing from the 3,340-meter (11,000-foot) volcano.

Television channels showed footage of shuttered schools and hundreds of people flocking to hospitals with breathing and skin problems.

The National Emergencies Commission in a statement advised people to wear masks and tight clothing to protect their lungs and skin from the ash.

Gonzalez said the wind was blowing the ash and smoke westward, toward the country's most populated areas.

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First Published: May 21 2016 | 3:57 AM IST

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