Powerful volcano near Mexico City erupts

The volcano spewed ash two mile high.

07:40 22 June 2013

Mexico’s powerful Popocatépetl volcano erupted on Monday spewing ash and rock three miles high. The explosion, which was filmed at the peak of Popocatépetl, caused shockwaves which can be seen at the beginning of the footage.

The horrifying eruption sent burning debris to surrounding areas.

The video clip, which lasted for about 30 seconds, showed how ash poured from Mexico’s second highest peak over a 12-minute period.

Last year, scientists noticed a rise in the seismic activity around the volcano. The recent blast is the latest in a series of incidents noted by these scientists.

Over a period of several days, the volcano was heard to rumble and was seen to spew ash, lava, and steam. Because of these latest activities, the threat level was raised to Yellow Phase 3 – the fifth rung on a seven-state warning scale.

“El Popo,” which experts say could be one of the world’s most dangerous volcanoes, lay dormant for decades until it started putting out small eruptions of ash in 1994.