33,000 fleeing Guatemala volcano eruption

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Guatemala's head of emergency evacuations says more than 33,000 people are fleeing the eruption of a long-active volcano just outside one of the country's most famous tourist attractions.

Sergio Cabanas says the evacuees are leaving some 17 villages around the Volcano of Fire, which sits about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the colonial city of Antigua.

The agency says the volcano spewed lava nearly 2,000 feet (600 meters) down slopes billowing with ash on Thursday.

Seismologists also say a series of explosions have been coming from the 12,346-foot-high (3,763-meter-high) volcano.