Mexican volcano spews out smoke, ash

Mexico City (dpa) - Mexico's Popocateptl volcano spewed out smoke and ash Tuesday that reached 3,000 metres above the crater's base.

Residents in Mexico City, 70 kilometres southwest of the volcano, could see a white plume of smoke stretching above Popocateptl's peak, which is 5,452 metres high.

Popocateptl, about 700,000 years old, became active again in December 1994. Since then, an alert code system for inhabited areas around the volcano has remained at yellow, which means restricted access. dpa am ls

AP-NY-12-18-01 1727EST

Copyright (c) 2001 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH
Received by NewsEdge Insight: 12/18/2001 17:27:52