Mexico’s Popocatepetl volcano spewing ash and gas closes schools
SANTIAGO XALITZINTLA, Mexico (AP) — Mexico’s Popocatepetl volcano spewed gas, smoke and ash Monday, leading education authorities to suspend in-person classes in parts of three states, a day after the government raised the warning level on the volcano’s activity.
Activity at the 17,797-foot (5,425-meter) mountain just 45 miles (about 70 kilometers) southeast of Mexico City and known affectionately as “El Popo” has increased over the past week. Evacuations have not been ordered, but authorities were preparing for that scenario and telling people to stay out of 7.5-mile (12-kilometer) radius around the peak.
In Santiago Xalitzintla, one of the communities closest to the crater, alerts and preparation are regular and most people were going about their normal business Monday. An extremely fine ash was falling and was visible on vehicles’ windshields.
The volcano’s activity temporary halted flights at the capital’s two airports over the weekend.
On Monday, an ash plume extended hundreds of miles (hundreds of kilometers) to the east, stretching out over the Bay of Campeche, according to a US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report.
On Sunday, national Civil Defense Coordinator Laura Velázquez said in a news conference that the stoplight-style warning system for the volcano remained on yellow, but had risen to phase 3. Still, she said, “there is no risk to the population at this time.”
