Volcano spewing fire and ash in Ecuador

QUITO - Ecuador’s Tungurahua volcano was again spewing fire and ash over the weekend after months of relative calm, the Hoy newspaper reported.

A nearly four-kilometre-high ash cloud had formed over the volcano south of the capital Quito Saturday and lava was flowing down the western side of the more than 5,000 metre tall volcano.

Nearby villages had been evacuated, but some farmers had returned in order to care for their livestock. Explosions in the volcano had rattled villages up to 14 km away, the newspaper said Sunday.

Tungurahua, about 130 km south of Quito, is the most active volcano in Ecuador and last spewed ash in June. It was unclear whether the recent activity was foreshadowing a larger explosion.