February 11, 2008
The Tungurahua volcano, about 100 miles south of Quito, Ecuador, spewed inches of ash onto villages on Wednesday, February 6. The Ecuadorian government declared a code red for the area around the volcano, and 3,000 people have been evacuated from their homes. Pastor Bladimir Guingla of the Pichan C&MA church reported that the ash fall has increased greatly in the vicinity and that visibility is poor. Church members request prayer for strength to witness to their neighbors. “Perhaps this is God’s time to open this area to the gospel,” said Guingla.
Several villages in the path of the volcano are being destroyed by falling ash. Many people are experiencing serious respiratory and skin problems as well as eye diseases due to the ash fall. In addition, there has been major crop damage in this agriculturally important area. Thus far, there are no reported deaths.
“Experts at the Geophysics Institute have compared the volcano’s recent activity to the massive 2006 eruptions that buried entire villages, leaving at least four dead and thousands homeless,” according to the International Herald.
Sources: International Herald and The Associated Press