THIS is the shocking moment that three tourists risked their lives by clambering into a live, lava-filled volcano.
The thrill-seeking football fans, believed to support Club América, ignored Civil Protection warnings that getting too close to Popocatépetl in central Mexico could be deadly.
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Shocking footage captured by the trio shows one man climbing up to the edge of the Popocatépetl volcano’s crater.
The video, filmed at 7.23am on March 30, reveals glowing lava deep within the volcano.
The tourists also posed for a selfie at the summit – despite strict restrictions in place under a Phase 2 yellow alert, issued by the National Coordination of Civil Protection.
Both the Civil Protection authorities and CENAPRED (National Centre for Disaster Prevention) have repeatedly warned that this alert level carries the risk of explosions and the ejection of incandescent rock fragments.
The stunt has sparked fierce debate online, with some calling it daring, while others condemned it as reckless and irresponsible.
Officials have strongly criticised the act, labelling it extremely dangerous, especially given Popocatépetl’s frequent volcanic activity and unpredictable eruptions.
What is Popocatépetl?
- Popocatépetl is an active volcano in Mexico.
- It is located about 43 miles southeast of Mexico City.
- The name Popocatépetl comes from the indigenous Nahuatl language and means “Smoking Mountain”.
- It is the second-highest volcano in Mexico, standing at about 17,802 feet tall.
- Popocatépetl is part of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, a chain of volcanoes across central Mexico.
- The volcano has been active for centuries, with frequent eruptions, including ash plumes and lava.
- It is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in Mexico due to its activity and proximity to large populations.
- Popocatépetl is often referred to by locals as “El Popo” for short.
It comes as a massive Alaskan volcano is on the brink of erupting – and experts warn it could happen within weeks.
Mount Spurr, the 11,000-foot behemoth sitting just 80 miles west of Anchorage, has been rumbling with frequent small earthquakes as scientists fear it’s moving closer to an explosive eruption.
The potential blast, experts say, could unleash global travel chaos and choke a critical cargo route between North America and Asia.
The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) said in a chilling update: “Unrest continues at Mount Spurr.”
“Most of the earthquakes that are occurring under the volcano are too small to be located.”
If it blows, the fallout could disrupt air travel worldwide as the ash is taken by the winds and makes flying impossible.
Meanwhile, scientists recently revealed that a volcano erupted in the South Pacific with such force that it sent shock-waves into space.
The enormous underwater eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha‘apai in January 2022 was one of the biggest in modern history.
It sent a plume of ash and gas over 31 miles into the air, far above the usual cruising altitude of commercial airliners.
Ripples from the blast didn’t just rattle land and sea, but made it all the way into space – shaking the area where satellites orbit our planet.
Research published in AGU examined how the volcano was able to send shock-waves into the cosmos.
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