Sixty-two dead in Guatemala volcano eruption - official

A police officer stumbles while running away from a new pyroclastic flow spewed by the Fuego volcano in the community of San Miguel Los Lotes in Escuintla, Guatemala, June 4, 2018. REUTERS/Luis Echeverria

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The number of fatalities from a massive volcano eruption in Guatemala rose to 62 on Monday, an official in the Central American country said.

Only 13 of the dead have been identified so far, Mirna Zeledon, a spokeswoman for Guatemala's National Institute of Forensic Sciences told Reuters.

The eruption of Fuego - Spanish for "fire" - on Sunday was the biggest in more than four decades, forcing the closure of Guatemala's main international airport and dumping ash on thousands of acres (hectares) of coffee farms on the volcano's slopes.

Rescue workers take a break after Fuego volcano erupted in Escuintla, Guatemala June 4, 2018. REUTERS/Luis Echeverria

(Reporting by Sofia Menchu; writing by Julia Love)

A child receives care inside a shelter after Fuego volcano erupted in Escuintla, Guatemala June 4, 2018. REUTERS/Luis Echeverria

People react in a shelter after Fuego volcano erupted in Escuintla, Guatemala June 4, 2018. REUTERS/Luis Echeverria

Women participate participate in the funeral of seven victims who died during the eruption of the Fuego volcano in Alotenango, Guatemala on June 4, 2018. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas

Mourners take part in the funeral of seven victims who died during the eruption of the Fuego volcano in Alotenango, Guatemala on June 4, 2018. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas

A view of the Fuego volcano as seen from the community of San Miguel Los Lotes in Escuintla, Guatemala June 4, 2018. REUTERS/Luis Echeverria

A road sign covered with ash is seen after Fuego volcano erupted in Escuintla, Guatemala June 4, 2018. REUTERS/Luis Echeverria

Victims gather at a shelter after Fuego volcano erupted in Alotenango, Guatemala June 4, 2018. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas

Rescue workers take a break after Fuego volcano erupted in Escuintla, Guatemala June 4, 2018. REUTERS/Luis Echeverria