Residents flee, flights hit as volcanos erupt

Explosive eruptions shook two huge volcanos in Central and South America today, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes and disrupting air traffic as ash drifted over wide regions.

Guatemala’s Pacaya volcano started spewing lava and rocks yesterday, blanketing the country’s capital with ash and forcing the closure of the international airport. President Alvaro Colom declared a “state of calamity”.