Costa Rica’s Turrialba Volcano Has Strongest Eruption in Nearly 20 Years; Tourism Board Responds

March 13, 2015 By: Joe Pike

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The Turrialba Volcano had its strongest eruption in nearly 20 years, according to media reports.

According to the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT), the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (OVSICORI) reported Thursday morning an eruption of volcanic ash from the Turrialba Volcano, located northeast of the Cartago region of the country.

International Business Times UK‎ is reporting that the volcano spat out a column of gas and ash more than 3,000 feet into the sky. Four explosions emanated from the volcano in central Costa Rica and ash reached parts of the capital San Jose some 30 miles away, where the airport was closed. It was the volcano's strongest eruption since 1996.

“The fumarole from the explosion reached several hundred meters with ash falling in the region of Turrialba and neighboring communities including Coronado, Moravia, Tibás, Belén, Alajuela, Orotina as well as other areas in the Central Valley region,” according to a statement released by the ICT on Friday.

Due to winds and visibility the Juan Santamaria International Airport will remain closed as a precautionary measure. The airport was slated to reopen today at noon. Some flights to San Jose are being rerouted to Panama. Clients who were unable to fly out have been accommodated in nearby hotels.

“The National Commission for Risk Prevention and Emergency Response (CNE) has currently issued a preventive Yellow Alert for the regions of Turrialba and Alvarado; these areas are within 12 miles of the volcano,” according to the statement. “There are no reported injuries or damages at this time. The Turrialba Volcano National Park, which is routinely closed during times of increased activity,will remain closed until further notice.”

ICT said it will continue to work with emergency response authorities to keep travelers up to date on the status of the volcano.

“At this time, the ICT would like to assure travelers that all hotels in the area and adventure activities are still fully operational,” according to the statement. “The ICT will continue to release information as it becomes available.”

This was actually Latin America's second volcanic eruption in less than two weeks.

BBC.com reported that the Villarrica volcano in southern Chile erupted in the early hours of March 3, spewing ash and lava up to 3,300 feet into the air. More than 3,000 people were evacuated from the volcano's vicinity, according to that report.

Visit www.visitcostarica.com and keep visiting www.travelagentcentral.com for more updates on this story. Follow Travel Agent's Joe Pike on Twitter @TravelPike.