El Salvador’s largest volcano, dormant for more than a century, shook the ground as it woke up on Saturday, hurling out hot lava rocks and forcing more than 2 000 people to flee. Military emergency sirens blasted, calling for an immediate area evacuation of the hamlets in the coffee-growing area.

Hurricane Adrian was downgraded to a tropical storm after making landfall on Friday in El Salvador, quickly losing wind speed but still packing torrential rains and flash-flood danger, as thousands of evacuees await news they can go home. Hurricane wind speeds at one point reached 140kph when Adrian was over the Pacific Ocean.