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A volcanic cloud descended on parts of the Ecuadorean capital Monday, forcing the mayor to close schools and health officials to warn residents to protect themselves against respiratory ailments.
The grayish sulfuric cloud came from the 11,775-foot Reventador volcano, which began erupting Nov. 3. It is 60 miles northeast of the capital, in a region where the Andes mountains butt up against Ecuador’s Amazon rain forest.
While no new eruptions were reported Monday, Quito Mayor Paco Moncayo said the cloud had been floating in the atmosphere from an earlier eruption. Residents in parts of Quito reported a “stench similar to sewage,” said Dr. Patricio Ampudia of the Health Ministry.
