1 Dead, 40 Injured After Nicaraguan Eruption
Authorities on Sunday outlined the toll of destruction from a volcanic eruption three days earlier that forced thousands to flee their homes.
The 3,220-foot Cerro Negro volcano, near the city of Leon in northwestern Nicaragua, rained fireballs and ash on nearby villages when it erupted late Thursday, knocking in the roofs of at least 40 homes.
At least 10,000 peasants were evacuated from the area, and another 12,000 might have to be moved, Presidency Minister Antonio Lacayo said Sunday.
At least 40 people were injured, he added, but only one person was killed.
The eruption also destroyed thousands of acres of fertile land, with witnesses reporting that in some areas ash was three feet thick on the ground.
Lacayo said Nicaragua urgently needs tents, mattresses, medicine, 500,000 military-style rations and powdered milk for children.
President Violeta de Barrios Chamorro cut short a private visit to the United States and returned to Nicaragua on Saturday to head relief efforts and visit the affected area.
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