Volcanic ash closes Costa Rican airport
Volcanic ash forced Costa Rica's Juan Santamaria International Airport to close yesterday.
The newly active Turrialba Volcano registered three explosions on Thursday, spreading ash over the the city of San Jose and forcing the airport, which is about 80 kilometres from the the volcano, to close overnight.
According to NDTV, several villages were evacuated after clouds of ash reached the Costa Rican capital.
The volcano erupted twice on Sunday and again on Wednesday and Thurday covering the city in a layer of volcanic ash.
A number of flights were suspended because of poor visability at the airport.
According to the Tico Times, as of 5pm yesterday, seven flights were grounded and three flights were in the air and unable to land.
Inspectors at the airport are assessing the safety of the runway and the airport will remain closed indefinitely.
The Public Security Ministry's Air Surveillance Service says ash poses a risk to planes because of obscured visibility and because it can interfere with the plane's jets or propellers.
Related stories
Guatemala volcano erupts showering town in ash and closing airport
Video: Flights on alert as volcano erupts in central America
Tourists visit Iceland volcano 'about to erupt'