Dozens dead, 1.7M affected by Guatemala volcano eruption

June 4 (UPI) -- At least 62 people died after the sudden eruption of Guatemala's Mount Fuego, a seismic event that's affecting nearly 2 million people, local authorities said.

Thirteen of the 62 people killed by the eruption were identified Monday, said Mirna Celedon, a spokeswoman for Guatemala's Institute of Forensic Sciences.

Guatemala's Health Ministry said at least 15 people have been hospitalized, including 12 children.

The volcano, 25 miles from Guatemala City, erupted for the second time this year around noon Sunday. Most of the dead and injured were from the town of El Rodeo, where lava flow overtook structures.

Thick ash exploded from the top of the 12,000-foot mountain and winds blew ash northwest toward the cities of San Luca, Antigua Guatemala, Alotenango, Chimaltenago and Zaragoza.

The country's seismology institute said the eruption of Mount Fuego, Spanish for "fire mountain," sent ash and debris nearly 33,000 feet into the air.

"It's a river of lava that overflowed its banks and affected the El Rodeo village. There are injured, burned and dead people," Sergio Cabañas, the general secretary of Guatemala's CONRED national disaster management agency, said in a radio address.

A CONRED advisory warned of falling rocks and another said El Rodeo was buried beneath lava. He added that the flow is hindering rescuers from entering the town. The agency described the lava as pyroclastic flow -- a mixture of hot lava blocks, pumice, ash and volcanic gas.

CONRED said the eruption lasted more than 16 hours before quieting.

Officials said they evacuated more than 3,000 people. Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales declared a national emergency and three days of mourning.

Among the dead is a CONRED officer. At least 12 children received third-degree burns and were taken to Guatemala City's Roosevelt Hospital. Officials fear the death toll will rise

By late Sunday, Guatemala's corps of army engineers said it was plowing volcanic ash off runways at the closed airport in Guatemala City, and videos online show entire areas covered in volcanic ash.