Mexico
Ash rain on the Popocatépetl volcano: schools closed
View of the Popocatepetl volcano on May 20, 2023. Photo
© Osvaldo Cantero/XinHua/dpa
Ash, steam, gas: Due to the increased activity of the Popocatépetl volcano, evacuation routes and the designation of emergency shelters are being checked in Mexico. Students have to stay at home.
Due to the increased activity of the Popocatépetl volcano in central Mexico, face-to-face teaching has been canceled at numerous schools. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced yesterday that more than 7,000 soldiers are ready in case the surrounding towns are evacuated.
The volcano has been spewing ash, steam and gas for days. In 40 cities and towns in the state of Puebla, there were no classes in schools yesterday, according to the local government. The lessons for over a million students in the region will be held virtually, wrote Governor Sergio Salomón Céspedes on Twitter.
The authorities had previously increased the warning level. According to the national civil defense, the new warning level is only one step away from the red alert level, in which the population should be ready for an evacuation. Evacuation routes and emergency shelter designations were to be reviewed yesterday. About 25 million people live within a radius of 100 kilometers.
The more than 5400 meter high Popocatépetl is one of the most active volcanoes in Mexico. It is 85 kilometers southeast of the capital, Mexico City. In the past few days, it has repeatedly emitted ash, steam and gas. According to the civil defense, there was a 1,600 meter high column of smoke above the crater of the volcano yesterday.