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Chilling footage circulating on social media captures the moment a group of hikers flee for their lives as a volcano erupts directly beneath them.

The video shows the group standing just metres from the crater of the Santiaguito volcano in Guatemala when it erupted. Anenormous plume of ash can be seen blasting skyward as rocks and debris are hurled in all directions.

A second clip, filmed from a considerable distance away, showed several hikers sprinting down the hillside as rocks rained down around them. One member of the group can be seen tumbling to the ground as the party scrambled to get away from the smoke.

The hikers had been ascending a route notoriously dubbed "the death trail", according to the Sun.

The climb is regarded as extraordinarily perilous, with the volcano ranking amongst the most active in the whole of Central America.

It is understood that scaling the Santiaguito volcano is strictly prohibited by local authorities.

ABC7 Eyewitness News reported that hikers routinely disregard these restrictions.

Social media users on platform X were quick to share their reactions to the alarming incident.

One X user wrote: "This is why you stay away from active craters. Imagine being in their shoes right now... what's your first move?"

Another said: "Volcano don't send warning text. One minute you're posing, next you're running from hot rocks'."