Mexican volcano known as 'El Popo' rumbles canceling schools in area, 22 million at risk
Fox News
"El Popo," a volcano in Popocatepetl, Mexico, rumbled this week. Scientists have been watching the volcano's every move. It is a threat to 22 million people.
The 17,797-foot volcano, known affectionately as "El Popo," has been spewing toxic fumes, ash and lumps of incandescent rock persistently for almost 30 years, since it awakened from a long slumber in 1994.
The volcano is 45 miles southeast of Mexico City, but looms much closer to the eastern fringes of the metropolitan area of 22 million people. The city also faces threats from earthquakes and sinking soil, but the volcano is the most visible potential danger — and the most closely watched. A severe eruption could cut off air traffic, or smother the city in clouds of choking ash.
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