Mexico’s Popocatépetl volcano spews ash and smoke – in pictures
Mexican authorities have raised alert levels following an increase in the activity of the Popocatépetl volcano and for a while airports halted flights. Popocatépetl (meaning ‘Smoking Hill’ in the native Aztec language Nahuatl) is one of the world’s most closely monitored volcanoes. It rises only about 72km southwest of Mexico City, home to about 9 million people, or around 22 million including the metropolitan area