Guatemala volcano: International community pledges aid amid multiple fatalities

At least 25 people have died after Volcan de Fuego spewed an 8km stream of lava

The international community has rushed to pledge aid to Guatemala after a huge volcanic eruption in the country.

At least 25 people have died after Volcan de Fuego, whose name means "Volcano of Fire", spewed an 8km (5-mile) stream of lava and belched thick black smoke and ash that rained onto the capital and other regions.

Rescue agencies estimate around 300 people have been injured but the number is likely to be higher as they have struggled to reach rural areas cut off by the eruption.

Video footage from the worst-affected village of El Rodeo showed the charred remains of three victims atop the steaming lava.

In another video, a visibly exhausted woman, her face blackened from ash, said she had narrowly escaped as lava poured through corn fields.

"Unfortunately El Rodeo was buried and we haven't been able to reach the La Libertad village because of the lava and maybe there are people that died there too," said Sergio Cabanas, the general secretary of Guatemala's CONRED national disaster management agency.

The international community has now pledged its support for the region.

The G13 - an international group consisting of leaders of the heads of government from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, the US and Russia, plus Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa - has offered its support to those affected by the volcano eruption.

"The G13 is at the disposal of the Guatemalan authorities to help with the Volcan Fuego tragedy and sends its condolences to those affected," a tweet on the official account for the British Embassy in Guatemala said.

Israel also announced that it had delivered food, blankets and medicine to Guatemala.

Israel's Foreign Ministry said it extended the assistance through its embassy in Guatemala and that a further assessment will be held with local authorities later.

The two nations have grown increasingly close in recent years. Last month, Guatemala followed the US by moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, becoming the second country to do so.

Agencies contributed to this report