A strong 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck Guatemala's southern Escuintla department on Friday in the wake of the eruption of the Fuego volcano that began earlier in the day, the national disaster agency CONRED said, Sputnik reported.
The tremors had been felt in the southern areas of the country and in Guatemala City, the agency added. Over 60 people have left their houses located in the vicinity of the Fuego volcano, CONRED said.
According to the agency, the volcano spewed out a column of ash to a height of 4.8 kilometers (3 miles) after which pyroclastic flow poured from the volcano.
Fuego is one of the most active volcanos in Central America. Its previous eruption took place in early June affecting around 1.7 million people.