Biggest active volcano in world begins erupting in Hawaii

Washington, Nov 28 (EFE).- Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano, the largest active volcano in the world, began erupting on Monday for the first time in almost 40 years after the longest period of quiescence in recorded history.

The Hawaiian Emergency Management Agency said on Twitter that the eruption, as present, is limited to the volcano’s caldera and poses no threat to the communities located around the base of the fire mountain.

However, the agency also said that shelters had been opened on the island as a precaution.

In about half of Mauna Loa’s eruptions, the flow of lava has been limited to the area of the caldera without posing any danger to nearby towns, the agency said, although authorities added that the situation potentially could “change quickly.”

The US National Weather Service said that “up to a quarter-inch of ash” could accumulate in some parts of the island, and thus authorities recommended that people with respiratory problems not leave their homes for the time being so as not to inhale the ash particles present in the air.

Mauna Loa is located just a few kilometers from the Kilauea Volcano, which in 2018 underwent an eruption that destroyed more than 700 homes, forcing a number of local residents to flee.

The volcano, which last erupted in 1984, rises to a height of 13,679 feet above sea level.

EFE –/bp