By GREG BULL
Associated Press
SAN ANDRES
CALPAN, Mexico (AP)--A volcano near Mexico City spouted showers
of incandescent rock and lava late Monday, one of Popocatepetl's
biggest eruptions since returning to life more six years ago.
Television
showed footage of Monday's lava shower, which spread against the
night sky like a fireworks show and prompted some residents of
small, nearby towns to finally heed officials' pleas to evacuate.
It was unclear
how far down the flanks the lava was falling, but it appeared
only about a half mile down the slope.
The eruption
appeared to be the largest emission of molten rock from the peak
since it rumbled back from a 70-year period of dormancy in 1994.
The nearest
villages, almost all now completely evacuated, are about 4 miles
away.
Since Saturday,
the government has been urging some 40,000 people who live within
6 miles of the volcano to leave the area. Most had disregarded
the pleas, preferring to stay behind to guard their belongings
and livestock.
But deep rumbling
from the volcano overnight, and a spectacular shower of red-hot
rock over the high flanks of the peak Monday, prompted some locals
to pack their cars, afraid that a stronger eruption was brewing.
"They
already told us to leave, but we didn't believe them _ until last
night. Now we are scared,'' said Javier Hernandez, 71, huddled
around a fire with five other men. Six female relatives slept
under blankets in the back of a nearby pickup.
"We didn't
sleep at all last night,'' he said. "It was thundering loudly.''
About 10,000
people have already fled, and buses were parked along roadsides
waiting to shuttle more to shelters in safe areas. Interior Minister
Santiago Creel, who reportedly had said authorities might forcibly
move people, said Monday there would be no forced evacuation.
"We can't
make anybody leave their home and go to a shelter,'' he said.
Scientists
have warned that lava at the base of the 17,886-foot Popocatepetl
(pronounced poh-poh-kah-TEH-peh-til) is causing pressure to build
inside the mountain. That could trigger a strong eruption, throwing
rocks and other debris for miles.
"It's
like a pressure cooker,'' Creel said. "It could lead to a
situation the likes of which we've never seen.''
The volcano,
locally known as "Popo'' or "Don Goyo,'' sits 40 miles
southeast of Mexico City.
A major eruption
is unlikely to do more than dust the metropolitan area's 20 million
residents with ash. But some airlines have canceled flights to
Mexico City for fear that ash already spewed by the volcano may
damage their engines.
The last evacuation
occurred in December 1994, when the volcano came back to life
after lying dormant since 1927. It has been 800 years since its
last catastrophic eruption.
|
