Poás Volcano Costa Rica: ‘Stay away’ alert after eruption covers villages in ash, sulfur dioxide

Villages at the base of a volcano that has erupted violently are under an “Orange Alert” as huge ash plumes land on houses and over 600 tonnes of sulphur dioxide is launched into the air each day.

At 2.14 pm local time on Monday, the Poás Volcano in Costa Rica burst its lid and spewed a volcanic ash stream over 2000 metres into the air.

Local health officials have issued strong warnings to people in the broader area surrounding the volcano to take immediate action to avoid the toxic ash cloud and prevent any serious injury or death.

The eruption has forced the Costa Rican Government to close the popular tourist destination Parque Nacional Volcán Poás (Poás Volcano National Park), while seismic activity continued to be recorded.

An orange alert has remained active for the national park since March 28, when the volcano began to display activity.

The US Embassy has issued a warning to its citizens to stay away from the Poás area until authorities give the all clear that the dangerous ash cloud has dissipated.

The communities of Zarcero, Grecia, Alajuela, Heredia, and San José were blanketed in thick ash, in addition to areas in southwest Costa Rica witnessing particles from the volcanic eruption carried into the area by high winds.

The blast of ash has since been rerecorded at reaching the unprecedented height of 4708 meters above sea level, and authorities are urging residents to continue to monitor for updates on the situation.

Masks, such as the mandated global pandemic covering , have been encouraged to protect people from inhaling the most finite particles into their lungs, which can irritate and cause significant damage.

Warnings have also been issued for people to limit their outdoor exposure due to the toxic ash and unhealthy air quality, in addition to the unpredictable behaviour the volcano is currently displaying, travel website The Travel is reporting..