Flight Routes were Diverted Due to Eruptive Activity of Tungurahua

The columns of ash threw up by Tungurahua volcano up to 12 miles high, forced the Ecuadorian authorities to amend the national air traffic routes.

The Risk Management Secretary, Maria del Pilar Cornejo, said on Wednesday to Sonorama radio that “if a plane flew used to fly in a straight line (to the south of the country) … it will have now to divert to the coastal area or to the Amazon.” She clarified that “none of the national airports has suspended its operations.”

The Geophysics Institute Director Hugo Yepes said in a press conference that the evidence “leads us to believe that this situation will extend … for weeks, there have been released small amounts of material compared to what we have estimated that is stored inside.”

Since 20 April, Tungurahua showed a progressive increase of its eruptive activity. The ash damaged crops, pastures, and caused minor discomfort to the health of the inhabitants. The volcano, is still active since 1999, is 5,023 meters above the sea level and is about 135 kilometers southeast of Quito, in the country’s central Andes.

Source: El Universo Newspaper