The Santa Ana or Ilamatepec volcano, located 66 kilometers (41 miles) west of the capital, rumbled and belched thick plumes of ash that reached more than 15 kilometers (nine miles) into the sky Saturday morning.

Military emergency sirens blasted, calling for an immediate area evacuation of the hamlets in the coffee growing area, and soon after the volcano began hurling glowing rocks and ash from its crater.

The volcano "has begun to expel magma on the side of the town of San Blas, while the ash is being carried by a south-southwesterly wind," the University of El Salvador vulcanologist Francisco Barahona said.

Officials with the National Emergency Committee said that by 1 p.m. (1900 GMT), 2,250 people had been evacuated from the danger zone.

Hot rocks belched out by the volcano ranged from the size of a football to the size of a car, an AFP journalist on the scene reported.

At least seven people were injured by red hot rocks spewed into the air by the eruption, the national police said.

Two people were killed when 200 residents fled the hamlet of Palo Campana, located just two kilometers (1.2 miles) from the crater, said Interior Minister Rene Figueroa.

The eruption triggered a landslide of boiling mud and water from a crater lake that rushed down onto Palo Campana from three directions, authorities said.

Interior Ministry officials declared a red alert in a four kilometer (2.5 mile) radius around the volcano. A lesser "yellow alert" was issued for adjacent areas.

Some 20,000 people live in the area surrounding the volcano.

President Antonio Saca called on El Salvadorans to remain calm, describing the eruption as one of "moderate magnitude."

The country's civil protection forces have been deployed and are operational, he said.

Saca said he understood many people had never seen a volcano erupting and would like to get close to observe the phenomenon.

"This is not a game," he warned. "This could represent danger since we are not discounting another eruption."

At 2,381 meters (7,812 feet) above sea level, the Santa Ana volcano is the highest point in El Salvador. It last erupted in 1904.

The volcano has been rumbling since mid-August, but had been quiet since Thursday, said Elda Godoy with the government office that monitors seismic and volcanic activity. She described Saturday's eruption as "abrupt."

Similar eruptions could occur in the next days or weeks, Godoy said, warning of possible landslides due to the weak rain-soaked ground.

Santa Ana, the country's second largest city with a population 100,000 and located 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the volcano, was not affected, officials said.

All rights reserved. © 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.

Related Links
TerraDaily
Search TerraDaily
Subscribe To TerraDaily Express