Terrified tourists were pelted with red-hot lava when the volcano they were hiking suddenly erupted.
Dramatic footage shows a chunk of rock striking the ridge and shattering into several glowing fragments that flew in all directions.
A scream rang out as the group of hikers ducked for cover, with some sprinting away and one person scooping up a dog.
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In the background, a thick column of smoke could be seen billowing from the crater of Volcán de Fuego, west of Antigua, Guatemala.
Further footage showed how molten rock burnt a large hole straight through hiker Hana García’s coat.
Sharing the images last week, Hana wrote: “I wanted it to be the best day of my life, and it almost became the last.”
She later reassured followers: “The only thing that got hurt was my jacket.”
Hana told local media: “The volcano erupted and I managed to film a little bit of it, but I didn’t record much because, while I was filming, I looked up and started seeing rocks falling.
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“At that moment I was kind of in shock, and then I started running.”
She said a piece of volcanic rock landed about “five centimetres in front of me” and “almost hit me in the head”.
Fuego is almost constantly active at a low level, producing small explosions of gas and ash every 15 to 20 minutes.
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The Fuego ridge hike is a highly strenuous add-on to the popular Acatenango overnight trek, as reported by Whats The Jam.
From Acatenango’s base camp, it descends into the saddle before climbing Fuego’s steep ash slopes, offering an up-close, terrifyingly beautiful view of ongoing eruptions.
“But we weren’t expecting that accident with the rocks because they always fall on the other side,” Hana explained.
“It’s not something that usually happens. Lots of tourists have gone there, but nothing like this happens to them.
“Now it’s an unforgettable experience, and in a way a good one because it’s something we survived. But at the time we were absolutely terrified.”
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