Ecuador’s Tungurahua volcano erupted Wednesday, spewing molten rock, smoke and ash into the air and prompting authorities to evacuate hundreds of villagers living on the shadow of the mountain.

Tungurahua, which means “throat of fire” in the native Quechua language, is located 80 miles (130 km) south of the capital, Quito. The volcano has been rumbling and shooting out clouds of smoke since January, with up to 30 explosions.

The strongest eruption of Tungurahua was in August 16, 2006 when at least five people were killed, and thousands others were displaced from the villages around it which were destroyed.

The government declared a state of emergency over the provinces of Tungurahua, Chimborazo and Bolivar freeing up $3 million in aid. People and livestock have been evacuated and troops and police are on the hand to prevent looting.

“It was a really big shake coming from the volcano and that forced the civil defense to evacuate the population,” said civil defense chief Roberto Rodriguez, according to Reuters.

The intensity of Wednesday’s eruption matched that of violent explosions registered July 14, 2006. The heaviest period of activity was recorded around 1 a.m. local time, the geographical institute said.

Rodriguez said there were no reports of injured or dead people, but some local authorities said ash and rock fragments showered some communities located on the slopes of the volcano.

According to experts at the Geophysics Institute, the volcano is in the middle of an eruption cycle. Therefore, more eruptions are expected.

"This is an ongoing eruption and we still don't know the magnitude it could reach," said Hugo Yepes, the head of the country's Geophysics Institute, Reuters reports.

The volcano became active in 1999 when it erupted for the first time in 80 years.