Paola Chorna in Buenos Aires
Ecuador's El Reventador volcano erupted on Sunday, covering the capital Quito with thick ash that prompted health warnings and forced the airport to close indefinitely.
Although there have been no known fatalities, health officials have warned the city's 1.4 million inhabitants to stay indoors because of the danger of inhaling ash from the 3,562-metre volcano, located about 96 km to the east.
El Reventador spewed out gases, ash and rock, blackening the jungle around the peak, darkening the sky and dropping snow-like ash on the ground. The few people remaining out of doors carried umbrellas and covered their mouths with medical masks or their shirt sleeves to avoid breathing in the ash.
Red Cross officials said some 3,000 people living near the base of the volcano fled early on Sunday morning, as El Reventador rumbled into life. Two people suffered burns as they tried to rescue belongings from their house.
The Ecuadorian Red Cross (ERC), through its branches, has been responding to the emergency throughout the country.
The National System of Evaluation of Damage and Assessment of Needs has been activated, and teams were sent from Quito, Tena and Sucumbios to produce and update situation reports.
Simultaneously, the branches in the province of Pichincha were activated to help out in the affected areas and provide pre-hospital attention and rescue in those zones hit by the volcanic ash.
The eruption also threatened the Trans-Ecuadorean oil pipeline that runs close to the area. Officials are warning that El Reventador could erupt again soon
Related links:
Ecuador: appeals, updates and reports
Americas: Regional documents
Disaster response
Make a donation