Authorities in Morelos are on high alert due to heightened activity at the Popocatépetl volcano.

Aerial inspections of the volcano’s crater have found that a lava dome has formed inside it, a condition that poses an elevated risk for the towns nearby.

Over the last 48 hours,Civil Protection officials have kept the volcano under close observation as it expelled ash and water vapor.

Two explosions this morning sent ash into 10 municipalities in Puebla.

Civil Protection Chief Enrique Clement Gallardo said that if volcanic activity continues to increase, towns located near the volcano will be evacuated

Previous volcanic explosions have released incandescent matter and present a deadly risk.

Popocatépetl straddles the borders of the states of Morelos, Puebla and México and lies just 72 kilometers southeast of Mexico City.

Source: Milenio (sp)