Officials have reported that at least one reporter was killed in a volcanic eruption in the Central American state of Guatemala overnight on Friday.

The authorities did not immediately confirm two further deaths, which had been reported earlier.

It was also reported that several people were injured in the eruption of the Pacaya volcano, and Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom declared a state of emergency in the area, affecting the provinces of Guatemala and Esquintla.

Guatemala City, which is home to about 3 million people, also saw effects of the eruption. Ash and sand fell on the city, causing traffic chaos, and the airport was temporarily closed, until the sand could be removed from the runways. Lessons were suspended at schools and universities.

In order to report on the eruption, television reporter Anibal Archila had traveled to the volcano with his team. He was hit and killed by falling debris.

The daily La Prensa has reported that in San Jose Calderas, San Francisco and other villages in the area, debris damaged the roofs of precarious houses. People ran out of their homes in panic. The villages of El Rodeo and El Patrocinio, around five km away from the volcano, were also impacted by the eruption.

The volcano shot ash more than 1,500 metres into the atmosphere. Around 1,800 people were evacuated to safety from the endangered region after the Pacaya volcano eruption, the country's seismological institute Insivumeh has said. (With Inputs from Agencies)