August 22, 2008 Eruption of Tungurahua
Tungurahua in Ecuador erupted on August 22, 2008 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 3. The eruption killed 2 people.
Where it erupted
Tungurahua, Ecuador, with its other significant eruptions.
The eruption
- Date
- August 22, 2008
- Volcano
- Tungurahua, stratovolcano
- Country
- Ecuador
- Volcanic Explosivity Index
- 3, moderate to large (eruption column 3 to 15 km)
- Killed by
- Mudflows and lahars
- Location
- 1.467° S, 78.442° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 2
- Injuries
- 2
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 2
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.
On 8 March 2008, lahars transported blocks up to 3 m in diameter; in many other cases the largest blocks were around 1 m in diameter. Lahars occasionally affected roads in the Pampas sector to the S and disrupted the access road to Baños.
On 21 August 2008, intense rains prompted the Volcanic Observatory of Tungurahua (OVT) to issue a warning of potential lahars in the Vascún river. A natural dam in that river had been previously identified as a potential hazard.
On 22 August, the dam ruptured and a flood descended. A bridge crossing the river on the outskirts of Baños endured the flooding but was overridden by ~ 20 cm above the railing. The flood also destroyed two homes and the El Salado public pools, 1,700-1,800 m downstream of the dam. Two people were reported injured and two were reported missing and presumably killed. (reference #2432)
Other significant eruptions of Tungurahua
More
Every eruption in 2008The 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 5526.