Ecuador Volcano Erupts

Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano has spewed a 6-mile column of ash after a powerful, five-minute explosion. Ecuador's geophysics institute said yesterday's blast occurred at 6:10pm local time and was followed by a second, four-minute explosion and five lesser tremors. The 16,480-foot volcano, which lies in the Pacific Ring of Fire, revived on Feb. 1, with eruptions that affected a third of Ecuador's provinces and temporarily closed a regional airport. Tungurahua has been erupting sporadically since 1999. Click for more images via the BBC. (More volcano stories.)