Villages evacuated as Mexico’s Colima volcano erupts violently

October 2016 – MEXICO – Hundreds of people have been forced to leave their homes after the eruption of the Colima volcano in western Mexico. The volcano has continued to produce glowing lava flows, spewing a column of ash into the air. The Colima volcano, also known as the Volcano of Fire, erupted on Friday in western Mexico, but has continued to spew lava and ash throughout Saturday, prompting the evacuations of three hamlets.

Glowing-hot lava continued to flow down its southern and southeastern slopes while the volcano continued to spew ash and vapor into the air, reported the civil defense office in Jalisco state. On Twitter, the Mexican National Civil Protection System posted a map of the areas nearest the volcano which are potentially in danger.

Within Jalisco state, 26 people were evacuated from the hamlet of Juan Barragan, the state office reported. The government of the nearby state of Colima evacuated 230 people from the “high risk” areas of La Becerra and an additional 80 people from Yerbabuena. Images of the first eruption on Friday show glowing rocks shooting out of the volcano, with lava flowing steadily down the volcano’s slopes. Citizens near the volcano have been advised to keep their windows shut to protect against falling ash. The 12,533-foot (3,820-meter) high volcano is located 430 miles (690 kilometers) west of the capital, Mexico City.   –DW