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Mexican authorities on Sunday raised the warning level for the Popocatepetl volcano to one step below red alert as smoke, ash and molten rock spewed into the sky posing risks to aviation and far-flung communities below. The huge volcano that towers above Mexico City is considered one of the most dangerous in the world because some 25 million people live within a 60-mile radius. Sunday's increased alert level - to 'yellow phase three' - comes a day after two Mexico City airports temporarily halted operations due to falling ash, which also forced 11 villages to cancel school sessions.

Mexico's Popocatepetl volcano lit up the sky with a large flash from an eruption on Saturday night. The volcano spewed ash and smoke into the night sky. On Sunday morning eruption, a second eruption followed.

More than 25 million people live in the vicinity of Mt. Popocatepetl, including Mexico City’s 18 million residents. At 2:32 local time on Tuesday morning, the most dangerous volcano in Mexico roared to life in spectacular fashion, and this has many experts extremely concerned about what is coming next. Popocatepetl is an Aztec word that means “smoking mountain”, and historians tell us that once upon a time entire Aztec cities were buried in super-heated mud from this volcano. In fact, the super-heated mud flows were so deep that they buried entire Aztec pyramids. A full-blown eruption of Mt. Popocatepetl would...

At least six U.S. airlines canceled more than 40 flights into and out of Mexico City and Toluca airports Thursday after the Popocatépetl volcano spewed out ash, steam and glowing rocks, airport officials said. Mexico City airport spokesman Jorge Gomez said U.S. Airways, Delta, United, American and Alaska Airlines canceled 47 flights as a precaution. But he said the airport otherwise continues to operate normally and that by Thursday afternoon no ash had reached the area, about 40 miles (70 kilometers) from the volcano. …

Columns of gas and ash 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) high were detected after two strong explosions from the Popocatepetl volcano, Mexico's Cenapred disaster-management agency said Friday. The first blast came at 10:14 p.m. Thursday, followed by another a little more than two hours later. The explosions deposited glowing fragments up to 1.5 kilometers from the crater as well as columns of ash and gas that were carried northeastward by the prevailing winds, Cenapred said. Popocatepetl, which rises 5,452 meters (17,875 feet) above sea level, is located about 64 kilometers (40 miles) from Mexico City. Mexican authorities have prepared contingency plans...

Mexican volcano Popocatepetl spews giant smoke cloud Mexico City - Mexican volcano Popocatepetl on Saturday threw a large cloud of gas and ash into the air about 80 kilometres east of the capital, Mexico City. The cloud reached a height of up to two kilometres over the 5,400- metre mountain, the national disaster protection centre said Saturday. Ash rained down on some areas near the volcano and an area of 12 kilometres around the mountain was blocked off. The volcano has been active for some time, and steam cloud has become an ongoing sight over its peak.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -- Mexico's giant Popocatepetl volcano threw up an ash column almost 2 miles (3 kilometers) high and spat glowing rocks down its snow-clad slopes on Sunday, but nearby towns were not affected, officials said. Popocatepetl, whose name means "smoking mountain" in the Nahuatl Indian language spoken by the Aztecs, spewed out the huge plume of ash and rocks in a three-minute exhalation. "The recent activity is within the expected scenarios, and there is no evidence of a major risk in the following days," said the disaster prevention center CONAPRED. "No reports of ash fall have been received."...

MEXICO CITY (AP) - A volcano southeast of Mexico City erupted early Friday, spewing glowing fragments of rock as far as two miles away and sending up a three-mile-high smoke column. The 5:34 a.m. eruption of the Popocatepetl volcano lasted four minutes and caused grass fires but no other damage. No evacuations of nearby villages were necessary, said scientists at the National Center for Disaster Prevention. The 17,886-foot high volcano, 40 miles southeast of Mexico City, has been active since December 1994.