Following two eruptions that expelled ash columns on Easter Sunday, officers from Fuerza Publica (the national police force of Costa Rica) were deployed to various sectors of the Turrialba Volcano National Park for the purpose of evacuating the area.

According to a news report filed by Lady Rojas of online news daily Costa Rica Hoy, Fuerza Publica Commissar Juan Jose Andrade confirmed that his officers evacuated volcano tourists who should not have been visiting the national park in the first place. As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star, the Turrialba volcano has been very active over the last few weeks, and this activity has moved emergency officials to issue a green alert and restrict access to the colossus.

Geologists from the Observatory on Seismology and Volcanology of Costa Rica (Spanish acronym: OVSICORI) confirmed two eruptions and recorded three episodes of seismicity at the Turrialba volcano on Sunday afternoon. The first eruption took place around 11:24 am, and it mostly consisted of an exhalation of vapor and gas that resulted in a white column.

At 12:23 pm, another eruption occurred; this time it expelled a visible ash column that turned into a gray cloud that was carried by strong winds into the southern and western edges of the Greater San Jose Metropolitan Area (Spanish acronym: GAM). Ash was deposited as far as the municipalities of Desamparados and San Jose.

Officials from the Directorate of Civil Aviation assigned to the Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) in Alajuela are keeping a close eye on the ash clouds and their trajectory over the GAM. A few weeks ago, more than 100 flights were canceled due to heavy activity from the Turrialba.

OVSICORI scientists explained that the seismic events, which are recorded by means of seismographs and other special instruments, corresponded to the intensity of the eruptions. From a geologic point of view, this Holy Week has been very active for Costa Rica; aside from these Easter eruptions, we’ve also experienced Good Friday earthquakes.