Popocatepetl Volcano Erupts, Sending Rocks and Ash Flying

The Popocatepetl volcano in central Mexico has had a series of eruptions, and images of the dramatic sight are making the Internet rounds.

Also known as "Don Goyo," the volcano’s eruption Sunday reached a height of 6,562 feet and shot incandescent rocks as far as 11,482 feet, Fox News Latino reported.

The mountain is about 50 miles southeast of Mexico City.

Officials are warning people not to get too close to the volcano and have set up a seven-and-a-half mile perimeter around the mountain as a precaution, the Daily Mail reported. Flights near the volcano haven’t been disrupted, though pilots have been put on alert.

One of 14 active volcanoes in the country, Popocatepetl last erupted in 2014, when nearby flights were canceled or diverted, the Daily Mail said. An eruption in 2000 led to the evacuation of 40,000 people in nearby areas.

Sunday’s eruption was the most dramatic in a series of rumblings at the volcano in recent months, International Business Times reported.

Authorities flew over the volcano on Saturday and confirmed that a large dome of lava that had been growing since January was gone, “obviously destroyed by the volcano's recent series of explosions,” Volcano Discovery noted.

Webcams de Mexico has been streaming video of the volcano live on YouTube since March 24.



Webcams de Mexico posted about the eruption on Facebook.

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