Mexico’s Popocatepetl Volcano at high risk for exploding

April 2016 – MEXICO – Mexican authorities are warning of the potential for major activity at an active volcano just 50 miles southeast of Mexico City. Experts on the Popocatepetl Volcano issued the warning Wednesday after observing an increased level of explosive activity in recent months. In the last two weeks alone, the volcano has exploded on several occasions resulting in the expulsion of gases and smoking, fiery fragments. Authorities are carrying out flyovers to inspect the crater with the support of the federal police, experts, and civil protection authorities.

 Volcano experts have detected the presence of a lava dome of about a thousand feet across inside the inner crater of the volcano. They set the alert level for the towering 17,900 foot volcano, often known as Popo, at yellow.  That’s the fourth-highest warning on the center’s seven-step scale. Up to 50-thousand people are at risk from volcanic gases and lava flow from Popocatepetl, so locals are taking no chances with the volcano and are prepared to evacuate if necessary. –KRISTV