Thursday November 4 5:06 PM ET

Mexican Volcano Shoots Smoke High Into The Sky

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's Popocatepetl volcano sprang to life Thursday
morning after months of dormancy, sending smoke two miles into the sky, officials
said.

``Today, at 11:10 a.m. there was a moderately significant exhalation, lasting 19
minutes, that produced a smoke column of two to three kilometers in height,'' the
Interior Ministry said in a statement.

A series of tremors were also felt Wednesday at the volcano, 40 miles southeast of
Mexico City, from where 18 million residents can sometimes see the volcano through
the smog.

Ash was expected to rain on nearby communities. Mexico City airport was placed on
alert and some flights were delayed, airport officials said.

The government said there had been no significant change in activity at the volcano,
and that a yellow alert remained in place, prohibiting access within a three-mile
radius.

A yellow alert means that Popocatepetl, which last provoked safety warnings in
February, could erupt in weeks or months but probably no sooner.