Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano continued its bout of activity with an explosive event this morning. The explosion, which took place at 1:46 a.m. CST, shot incandescent fragments up to 1.5 kilometers (.93 miles) from the volcano's crater and created plumes of smoke and ash which fell as far as 3 kilometers (1.86 miles) away. Shortly afterward, according to Mexico's National Center for Disaster Prevention, a tremor shook the 17,900-foot volcano, causing it to spew incandescent fragments up to 500 meters (1,640 feet) down its slope. The Disaster Center kept the alert level at Phase 3 Yellow, the third-highest of the seven-phase scale. Click here to see a webcam of the volcano.
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The Center said in a statement that based on evidence from past years' activity, medium- to high-scale explosive activity, growing lava domes and the possible expulsion of lava were likely. Explosions of increasing intensity, heavy ashfall on nearby towns and in less quantities on more distant locales, and pyroclastic flows - currents of hot gas and rock shot at high speeds out of the crater -- were also expected. A zone with a 12-kilometer (7.45-mile) radius around the cone of the volcano remained blocked off by authorities, while transit in nearby roads was still under police control.
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Authorities recommend that inhabitants cover their nose and mouths with handkerchiefs or cloths to protect against the volcanic ash.
Winds could carry airborne ash as far away as Mexico City, over 40 miles from "El Popo." Miguel Ángel Mancera, the city's mayor, said this Monday that his administration was not underestimating the risk posed to the capital and that "all alert centers are in action" against any possible risk.
2,000 emergency personnel from Puebla state are prepared to evacuate residents in the event of a serious eruption.
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