Ecuador: Volcanic ash falls on dozens of towns

Dozens of towns dusted with ash from Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano

Volcano monitors say about a dozen farming villages have been dusted with ash due to bursts from Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano.


The Geophysics Institute says clouds of gas and ash have risen as high as 2,500 meters (8200 feet) above the crater, producing "a strong fall of dark gray ash" over some settlements.

Thursday's report comes a day after authorities imposed new precautionary measures around the volcano, which has been increasingly restive.

The 5,023-meter (16,480-foot) volcano is located about 140 kilometers (85 miles) south of the capital, Quito, and close to the tourist city of Banos.

Residents wear protective covering to shield themselves from the steady rain of volcanic ash spewed by the nearby Tungurahua volcano, in Quero, Ecuador, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015. Volcano monitors say about a dozen farming villages have been dusted with ash due to bursts from Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano. Thursday's report comes a day after authorities imposed new precautionary measures around the volcano, which has been increasingly restive. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)