Some 3,000 people were evacuated from the Nevado de Colima National Park on Sunday, following a minor eruption at the nearby Colima Volcano.
The “low intensity” eruption occurred around 2 p.m., with a 600-meter plume of smoke rising from the crater of the Volcan de Fuego situated on the border between Jalisco and Colima.
A light layer of ash fell on the local communities of Atenquique, Tonila and Tecalitlan, while visitors were evacuated from the Nevado de Colima, an inactive volcano situated five kilometers north.
A popular tourist attraction, the Nevado de Colima had drawn thousands of weekend visitors eager to see the snow that fell last week. The park was closed to the public in the wake of the eruption but reopened on Tuesday, with access limited up to the point known as Puerto La Calle.
No further volcanic activity was recorded this week, but scientists and civil protection units from both Colima and Jalisco are continuing to monitor the volcano’s behavior. As a precaution, the local population is still not permitted to come within a five-kilometer radius of the volcano.