Mexico’s active Popocatepetl volcano has exploded late Monday evening, sending ash and debris high into the air and several kilometers away from the crater.

The 9:38 pm explosion of the active crater sent a 1.2km-high column of ash and fragments into the air, the country's civil protection said, releasing footage of the blast.

#ÚLTIMAHORA#ExplosiónPopocatépetl - Fue una de las explosiones más grandes que se hayan registrado en los últimos años, lanzó fragmentos a varios kilómetros de distancia cubriendo todo el cono. El sonido se escuchó en un radio de 40km. 🌋 pic.twitter.com/Pjqyb6IQd7 — SkyAlert (@SkyAlertMx) March 19, 2019

Video de la fuerte explosión del #Popocatépetl de las 21:38 h.Fragmentos incandescentes a más de 2 km del cráter; por eso es muy importante respetar el radio de seguridad de 12 km. pic.twitter.com/ZQUruEgpT7 — SkyAlert (@SkyAlertMx) March 19, 2019

Authorities have issued a yellow alert warning, asking residents to stay clear of the area within a 12 km radius of the crater, warning that ash from the volcano will be dispersed towards the northeast area of Puebla.

Otra perspectiva de la explosión del #Popocatepelt. pic.twitter.com/0IWZVOyUAt — Daniel Osorio (@danoga) March 19, 2019



Popocatepetl, which literally translates from Aztec as "smoking mountain," has witnessed an increase in activity over the last few weeks. Preparing for the worst case scenario, authorities have drafted a special Operational Plan allowing for quick evacuation of locals in case of any emergencies. Popocatepetl's 5,426-meter peak towers over the southeast part of Mexico City, which lies only 70 km (43 mi) away from the nation's capital.

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