Volcanic ash forces Guatemala airport to suspend operations

The Fuego volcano spews smoke and ash, as seen from San Miguel Los Lotes in Escuintla, Guatemala June 13, 2018. REUTERS/Luis Echeverria

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemala City's La Aurora international airport temporarily suspended operations on its only runway on Wednesday due to ash after the Pacaya volcano increased activity, a week and half after a violent eruption from another peak killed more than 100.

"This is a preventative measure taken to safeguard the lives of passengers and aircraft safety," Guatemala's civil aviation authority said.

Pacaya, located some 48 kilometers (30 miles) south of the capital, is spewing a column of ash and gas some 3,500 meters (11,483 feet) into the air and has produced different low-level lava flows over the last few months, the seismological, volcanic and meteorological institute Insivumeh said in a statement.

A general view shows an area affected by the eruption of the Fuego volcano in San Miguel Los Lotes, in Escuintla, Guatemala June 13, 2018. REUTERS/Luis Echeverria

Winds are blowing the column some 10 kilometers (6 miles) to the north, northeast.

Insivumeh asked authorities to prepare for the possibility that Pacaya may increase its volcanic activity over the "coming hours or days."

Guatemalan authorities are already on high alert after the Fuego volcano erupted on June 3, shooting fast-moving currents of ash, lava and super-heated gas down its slopes that buried villages in its path. The eruption of the volcano was its worst in four decades, killing at least 110 people and leaving nearly 200 missing.

Guatemalan rescue workers continue looking for families in an area affected by the eruption of the Fuego volcano in San Miguel Los Lotes in Escuintla, Guatemala June 13, 2018. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso

Pacaya, one of Guatemala's 34 volcanoes, had its last major eruption in 2010, killing three people and forcing hundreds to evacuate.

(Reporting by Sofia Menchu; Writing by Anthony Esposito; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Members of the Guatemala's disaster management agency (CONRED) inspect an area affected by a lahar from Fuego volcano at El Rodeo, Guatemala June 13, 2018. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas

An area affected by the Fuego volcano is seen from San Miguel Los Lotes, Guatemala June 13, 2018. REUTERS/Luis Echeverria

An area affected by a lahar from Fuego volcano is seen in El Rodeo, Guatemala June 13, 2018. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas

Members of the Guatemala's disaster management agency (CONRED) inspect an area affected by a lahar from Fuego volcano at El Rodeo, Guatemala June 13, 2018. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas

A resident holds framed pictures of his family, recovered from his house in an area affected by the eruption of the Fuego volcano, in San Miguel Los Lotes, in Escuintla, Guatemala June 13, 2018. REUTERS/Luis Echeverria

Smoke spews from the Fuego volcano, seen from San Miguel Los Lotes in Escuintla, Guatemala June 13, 2018. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso

Mamerto Alvarez rests as he continues looking for his family in an area affected by the eruption of the Fuego volcano in San Miguel Los Lotes in Escuintla, Guatemala June 13, 2018. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso

An excavator removes ash from an area affected by the eruption of Fuego volcano in San Miguel Los Lotes in Escuintla, Guatemala June 13, 2018. REUTERS/Luis Echeverria

An area affected by a lahar from Fuego volcano is seen in El Rodeo, Guatemala June 13, 2018. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas

A general view shows an area affected by the eruption of the Fuego volcano in San Miguel Los Lotes, in Escuintla, Guatemala June 13, 2018. REUTERS/Luis Echeverria

Members of the Guatemala's disaster management agency (CONRED) inspect an area affected by a lahar from Fuego volcano at El Rodeo, Guatemala June 13, 2018. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas

A view of an area affected by a lahar from Fuego volcano at El Rodeo, Guatemala June 13, 2018. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas

An area affected by a lahar from Fuego volcano is seen in El Rodeo, Guatemala June 13, 2018. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas

A member of the Guatemala's disaster management agency (CONRED) gestures while inspecting an area affected by a lahar from Fuego volcano at El Rodeo, Guatemala June 13, 2018. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas

A road affected by a lahar from Fuego volcano is seen in El Rodeo, Guatemala June 13, 2018. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas