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Guatemala is on alert and evacuates hundreds of villagers after eruption of the Fuego volcano

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Guatemala is on alert and evacuates hundreds of villagers after eruption of the Fuego volcano
News

News

Guatemala is on alert and evacuates hundreds of villagers after eruption of the Fuego volcano

2026-08-05 11:21 Last Updated At:12:00

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Guatemala remained on alert Tuesday after evacuating hundreds of people following an eruption of the Fuego volcano, which is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire and one of Central America’s most active volcanoes.

The country’s disaster management agency said 659 people were evacuated from eight villages in the danger area and are being housed in nearby shelters. The eruption started on Monday morning, with videos showing clouds of gas and ash above the volcano as lava and pyroclastic flows roll down.

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Lava flows and clouds of ash out of the crater of the Fuego Volcano, as seen from San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Lava flows and clouds of ash out of the crater of the Fuego Volcano, as seen from San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Lava flows and clouds of ash out of the crater of the Fuego Volcano, as seen from San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Lava flows and clouds of ash out of the crater of the Fuego Volcano, as seen from San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Families evacuated from areas surrounding the Fuego Volcano rest at a temporary shelter in San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Families evacuated from areas surrounding the Fuego Volcano rest at a temporary shelter in San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Lava flows out of the crater of the Fuego Volcano, as seen from San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Lava flows out of the crater of the Fuego Volcano, as seen from San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Families evacuated from areas surrounding the Fuego Volcano arrive at a temporary shelter in San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Families evacuated from areas surrounding the Fuego Volcano arrive at a temporary shelter in San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Families evacuated from areas surrounding the Fuego Volcano arrive at a temporary shelter in San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Families evacuated from areas surrounding the Fuego Volcano arrive at a temporary shelter in San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Families evacuated from areas surrounding the Fuego Volcano arrive to a temporary shelter in San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Families evacuated from areas surrounding the Fuego Volcano arrive to a temporary shelter in San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Lava flows out of the crater of the Fuego Volcano, as seen from San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Lava flows out of the crater of the Fuego Volcano, as seen from San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Claudinne Ogaldes, executive secretary of the Guatemalan disaster management agency, or CONRED, said that about 10 more communities are expected to be evacuated throughout the day.

Among those evacuated were around 250 people from El Porvenir and the hamlet of Las Lajitas, CONRED said and also warned of ash spreading to nearby towns.

A major highway that passes close to the volcano, National Route 14, was closed. The Education Ministry suspended classes in nearby towns.

During a previous eruption of the volcano in June 2018, hundreds of people were killed and a whole village was destroyed — with as many as 1.7 million people impacted by the event, according to authorities. Another eruption in June last year spurred preventive evacuations.

Lava flows and clouds of ash out of the crater of the Fuego Volcano, as seen from San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Lava flows and clouds of ash out of the crater of the Fuego Volcano, as seen from San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Lava flows and clouds of ash out of the crater of the Fuego Volcano, as seen from San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Lava flows and clouds of ash out of the crater of the Fuego Volcano, as seen from San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Families evacuated from areas surrounding the Fuego Volcano rest at a temporary shelter in San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Families evacuated from areas surrounding the Fuego Volcano rest at a temporary shelter in San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Lava flows out of the crater of the Fuego Volcano, as seen from San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Lava flows out of the crater of the Fuego Volcano, as seen from San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Families evacuated from areas surrounding the Fuego Volcano arrive at a temporary shelter in San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Families evacuated from areas surrounding the Fuego Volcano arrive at a temporary shelter in San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Families evacuated from areas surrounding the Fuego Volcano arrive at a temporary shelter in San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Families evacuated from areas surrounding the Fuego Volcano arrive at a temporary shelter in San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Families evacuated from areas surrounding the Fuego Volcano arrive to a temporary shelter in San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Families evacuated from areas surrounding the Fuego Volcano arrive to a temporary shelter in San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Lava flows out of the crater of the Fuego Volcano, as seen from San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Lava flows out of the crater of the Fuego Volcano, as seen from San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spanish police have opened an investigation into possible involuntary manslaughter after a soccer player died following an on-field collision in a second-division match.

The country’s National Police said Tuesday that proceedings were opened and prosecutors will also be involved.

Tenerife forward Jesús de Miguel died after he suffered cardiac arrest from the on-field collision in a Spanish second-division match, his club said. He was 30.

De Miguel was challenging for the ball near midfield on Monday when he was struck in the chest by the onrushing Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono during added time.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back for updates. AP’s earlier story follows below.

Tenerife forward Jesús de Miguel has died after he suffered cardiac arrest from an on-field collision in a Spanish second-division match, his club said Tuesday. He was 30.

De Miguel was challenging for the ball near midfield on Monday when he was struck in the chest by the onrushing Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono during added time.

Owono was shown a straight red card for the incident.

De Miguel was taken to a hospital and the match, tied 2-2, was abandoned after the incident.

Tenerife said in a statement to Spanish media late Monday that De Miguel suffered cardiac arrest but that his pulse was restored in the ambulance to the hospital. However, it later said his condition had “worsened neurologically” and subsequently announced that De Miguel had died at 8 a.m.

The club located on Spain's Canary Islands said it was “heartbroken.”

De Miguel, a Madrid native, made his professional debut in 2015 with Leganés B and has since played for a number of lower-divisions clubs in Spain. He joined Tenerife last year.

“There are no words of comfort,” the club statement read. “There is absolutely nothing that can alleviate this profound sense of sorrow. We stand with his devastated family, his loved ones, and the entire Tenerife community.”

The heavy collision happened when Owono rushed out of his area all the way to midfield to challenge for a long ball that De Miguel was trying to reach.

De Miguel initially curled on his knees, clutching his torso for a few seconds, before he fell over onto his back, with his arms falling to his sides.

Owono was walking off the field after being shown the red card but turned around and joined the other players rushing to check on De Miguel.

Andorra, which is owned by former Barcelona star Gerard Pique, also offered its condolences, along with other clubs, the Spanish soccer federation and La Liga.

“We wish to extend our deepest condolences to the family of Jesús de Miguel, to all his colleagues and friends, and to CD Tenerife. May he rest in peace,” Andorra said in a statement.

The players of Real Madrid held a minute of silence for De Miguel during training, while fellow topflight club Espanyol postponed the presentation of its new coach.

English clubs Manchester United and Liverpool joined in offering their condolences on social media.

The Spanish soccer federation postponed two Copa del Rey matches and one Copa de la Reina matches to be held later on Tuesday.

Life-threatening injuries from collisions in soccer are extremely rare.

Last year in Spain, a 19-year-old goalkeeper died from head injuries suffered during a collision in a fifth-division match. Colindres goalkeeper Raúl Ramírez had two cardiorespiratory arrests, one on the field and then in the ambulance while being transported to a hospital. He was declared brain dead two days later.

In 2001, Ukrainian goalkeeper Serhiy Perkhun was playing for CSKA Moscow when he died from head injuries received in a collision during a match.

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

Andorra players react after FC Tenerife forward Jesus de Miguel collides with Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono during a soccer match in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026. (AP Photo)

Andorra players react after FC Tenerife forward Jesus de Miguel collides with Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono during a soccer match in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026. (AP Photo)

Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono reacts after colliding with FC Tenerife forward Jesus de Miguel during a soccer match in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026. (AP Photo)

Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono reacts after colliding with FC Tenerife forward Jesus de Miguel during a soccer match in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026. (AP Photo)

Players from Andorra and Tenerife react after Tenerife forward Jesus de Miguel collides with Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono during a soccer match in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026. (AP Photo)

Players from Andorra and Tenerife react after Tenerife forward Jesus de Miguel collides with Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono during a soccer match in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026. (AP Photo)

FC Tenerife forward Jesús de Miguel, left, duels for the ball during a soccer match against Andorra in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026. (AP Photo)

FC Tenerife forward Jesús de Miguel, left, duels for the ball during a soccer match against Andorra in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026. (AP Photo)

FC Tenerife forward Jesus de Miguel is carried on a stretcher after colliding with Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono during a soccer match in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026. (AP Photo)

FC Tenerife forward Jesus de Miguel is carried on a stretcher after colliding with Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono during a soccer match in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026. (AP Photo)

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