Clouds of volcanic ash erupted due to activity on Shanghai Volcano, 200 kilometers south of the capital Quito, hit five of Ecuador's 24 provinces on Saturday and led to the closure of a regional airport, authorities said.
According to the latest bulletin of the National Institute of Geophysics, which is in charge of monitoring seismic and volcanic activity, “ash released from the Shanghai volcano was observed at a height of up to 2 km above the crater.”
“The provinces affected by the ash fall are Ciboraso, Waia, Bolivar, Los Rios and Canary,” the Ecuadorian National Emergency and Emergency Management Agency (SNGRE) said on Twitter.
The National Integrated Security Agency ECU911 has released videos and photos depicting communities covered in a gray veil. Particularly affected is the province of Ciboraso (south) in the Andes, with half a million inhabitants, which remains on yellow alert (before the orange and red alert levels, with the latter representing the highest risk level) since June. resumption of volcanic activity.
“The presence of ash in the air” forced the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC) to “suspend operations at Guayaquil Airport”, the capital of the state of Guayaquil, the service announced via Twitter. The same airport had also suspended operations in September, for the same reason.
Shanghai, the imposing, snow-covered cone that reaches 5,230 meters, is one of the several active volcanoes of Ecuador, as well as Tungurawa and Kotopaxi. These three are located south of the capital Quito. In Shanghai, explosive activity is thought to have continued unabated since 1628, according to the Geophysical Institute.
