Popocatepetl, Mexico – The Popocatepetl volcano released a massive ash plume after significant volcanic activity during the early hours of Thursday.

Images shared online showed the volcano, known as Don Goyo, sending a huge column of ash into the sky at around 9:24 a.m. Despite the eruption, the volcanic alert level remained at Yellow Phase 2.

According to the Volcanic Ash Advisories from the United States NOAA, the plume rose 5.9 kilometers above the crater and was moving toward the state capital based on satellite tracking.

During the madrugada, the volcano also reported activity involving the ejection of incandescent fragments.

Mexico’s National Center for Disaster Prevention, Cenapred, said its latest technical report detected 230 low-intensity exhalations accompanied by water vapor, volcanic gases, and at times small amounts of ash. Officials also recorded 246 minutes of low-amplitude exhalation sequences.

Authorities warned that possible scenarios during the current alert phase include minor to moderate explosions, tremors of varying intensity, light to moderate ashfall in nearby communities and more distant cities, incandescent fragments within the 12-kilometer exclusion zone, lahars caused by rain mixing with ash on the slopes, and possible pyroclastic flows that would not reach populated areas.

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