Nicaragua volcano sparks evacuation orders

Nicaragua’s tallest volcano has belched an ash cloud hundreds of metres into the sky prompting the authorities to order the evacuation of some 300 families, the government said. San Cristobal, one of Nicaragua’s seven active volcanoes, also spewed hot gas and ash on Tuesday in what is the latest bout of sporadic activity. A yellow alert was declared on Wednesday in a 1.8-mile radius around the volcano to allow the evacuation of residents who would be at great risk during a significant eruption, Rosario Murillo, the federal government spokeswoman and first lady, told a local radio station. Murillo said 15 eruptions had been recorded over the last day at the volcano northeast of Managua, Nicaragua’s capital. San Cristobal, believed to have erupted for the first time in 1685, has emitted regular small eruptions, but larger ones are unpredictable, said Murillo.