Thousands Flee El Salvador Volcano

Chaparrastique eruption snarls Central American travel
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 30, 2013 3:19 AM CST
Thousands Flee El Salvador Volcano
The Chaparrastique volcano shoots a a cloud of gas and ash about three miles into the air near the city of San Miguel, El Salvador yesterday.   (AP Photo/Nely Villatoro-Imagenes Libres)

A volcano in eastern El Salvador has blown its top for the first time in nearly 40 years, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes. Dozens of flights from the capital have been canceled and authorities say they can't rule out fresh eruptions from the Chaparrastique volcano, CNN reports. There have been no immediate reports of injuries in the region, but the volcano has spewed ash over a wide area and the eruption is expected to seriously damage a coffee crop already blighted by a region-wide outbreak of leaf rust, Reuters notes. (More El Salvador stories.)

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