TV reporter killed after rocks spew from volcano

ROCKS spewing from a volcano overlooking the Guatemalan capital killed a television reporter, authorities said yesterday. Three children were also reported missing.

The Pacaya volcano started erupting lava and rocks on Thursday, blanketing Guatemala City with ash and forcing the closure of the airport.

President Alvaro Colom declared a "state of calamity".

Reporter Anibal Archila was hit by a shower of rocks when he got too close to the volcano, about 15 miles south of Guatemala City, said David de Leon, a spokesman for the national disaster committee.

He said three children between the ages of seven and 12 were missing.

At least 1,600 people from villages closest to the volcano have been evacuated to shelters.

Two to three inches of ash accumulated on streets, and officials imposed limits on trucks and motorcycles to help speed up traffic slowed by the ash.

The government urged residents not to leave their homes unless there was an urgent need.

The most active of Guatemala's 32 volcanos, Pacaya has been intermittently erupting since 1966.