Strong Explosions from Concepcion Volcano on Ometepe Island, Nicaragua

Concepción Volcano, the largest on Ometepe Island, launched a huge column of smoke and ash, while residents heard rumbles. Much of the island received volcanic ash from the crater, according to reports on social media.

The explosions from Concepción, which reaches a height of 1610 meters, began shortly after two in the afternoon, according to authorities who activated an alert system on Ometepe Island.

On social media, inhabitants of the paradisiacal island —which is home to the small cities of Altagracia and Moyogalpa— as well as tourists, shared videos and photos showing a large column of smoke rising into the sky, and ash visible in the environment.

“We can see how the Moyogalpa pier is covered in ash. Since I’ve lived on the island, I’ve never felt this pure adrenaline here, I had never seen it,” a user on TikTok recounted, showing a video at the island’s main port.

No Major Danger

A press release from the Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies (INETER), published in official media, stated that the event on the island “does not imply greater danger.”

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However, “there is a possibility that, over the coming hours or days, there may be small explosions of gases and ash, of lesser or similar characteristics to the current one.”

At 5:50 in the afternoon, INETER reported small residual tremors associated with the explosion, “while the degassing flow returned to its normal parameters.”

According to the state institution’s report, the magnitude of this explosion “was categorized as low to medium.” The communities most affected by gases and ash are: Los Ramos, Santa Teresa, La Unión, Los Ángeles, La Flor, Urbaite, and Las Pilas.

Concepción, in southeastern Nicaragua, is one of the country’s most active volcanoes.  Ometepe island is home to over 35,000 inhabitants and visited by thousands of tourists seeking exotic destinations.

This article was published in Spanish in Confidencial and translated by Havana Times. To get the most relevant news from our English coverage delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to The Dispatch.