August 17, 2006 Eruption of Tungurahua
Tungurahua in Ecuador erupted on August 17, 2006 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 3. The eruption killed 6 people, counting its secondary effects.
Where it erupted
Tungurahua, Ecuador, with its other significant eruptions.
The eruption
- Date
- August 17, 2006
- Volcano
- Tungurahua, stratovolcano
- Country
- Ecuador
- Volcanic Explosivity Index
- 3, moderate to large (eruption column 3 to 15 km)
- Killed by
- Tephra (ash, bombs, lapilli, steam blasts)
- Location
- 1.467° S, 78.442° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 5; 6 with the tsunamis, mudflows and other effects it caused
- Missing
- Some (about 51 to 100)
- Injuries
- 13; Some (about 51 to 100) with the tsunamis, mudflows and other effects it caused
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Ash and debris fall caused fires and severe damage to five villages. An estimated 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres) of crops were destroyed. At least five people are dead or missing, and several more were injured. An estimated 4,000 people have been relocated to shelters.
Other significant eruptions of Tungurahua
More
Every eruption in 2006The 2000sTungurahuaEarthquakes near TungurahuaThis day in weather history
Sources
Volcanoes and significant eruptions from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. Volcano numbers are the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program’s. NCEI event 4643.