- Title: Underground explosion rocks Mexican town amidst new volcano fears
- Date: 11th July 2017
- Summary: PUEBLO VIEJO, MICHOACAN, MEXICO (JULY 11, 2017) (REUTERS) GENERAL VIEW OF FIELD IN TOWN HOMES IN TOWN RESIDENTS GATHERED AROUND AREA WHERE THERE WAS A GEOTHERMAL EXPLOSION FROM GROUND SMOKE COMING FROM GROUND MAN DIGGING IN TRENCH AREA AROUND SITE OF ERUPTION CLOSE UP OF DIGGING WITH SMOKE COMING OUT OF EARTH OFFICIALS LOOKING AT EARTH AT SITE SMOKE RISING TO AIR AMIDST DIGGING MAN LOOKING AT EARTH AS HE DIGS OFFICIAL WITH DEVICE TO READ GEOTHERMAL ACTIVITY OFFICIAL PUTTING DEVICE CLOSE TO EARTH OFFICIAL TAKING PHOTO OF EARTH, ANOTHER OFFICIAL TALKING TO HIM (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) EXPERT IN VOLCANIC RISK, RAMON ESPINASA, SAYING: "It's an old swamp with very rich organic material and which is burning. When it is burning its volume is reduced and that is producing the trenches that we are seeing here. The temperature is what you'd expect in earth of this type." OFFICIAL READING GROUND WITH DEVICE MONITOR ON DEVICE THAT MEASURES GROUND ACTIVITY SMOKE COMING FROM GAP IN THE GROUND (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) OFFICIAL AT MICHOACAN CIVIL PROTECTION BODY, MANUEL CUADRA GARCIA, SAYING: "From Sunday (July 9) we've put in place a security cordon to keep people out because the risk is that they can fall in a trench and they get some type of burn. This phenomena continues, it's a burning in the subsoil due to organic material." LOCAL RESIDENTS GATHERED AT SITE LOCAL RESIDENTS GATHERED NEAR CORDON AT SITE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) LOCAL RESIDENT, JOSE AVALOS, SAYING: "It continues to erupt. We can see that it is dangerous, it is not something to play around with. This (security cordon) needs to be respected given what they (authorities) are doing there. We don't know if it is the roots of a volcano until they come and identify it better. Yesterday they came (to investigate it) but they haven't identified it yet." EXPERTS LOOKING AT AFFECTED AREA OFFICIALS LOOKING ON POLICE OFFICER STANDING BY VEHICLE
- Embargoed: 26th July 2017 00:58
- Keywords: eruption volcano fears gas Michoacan Mexico
- Location: PUEBLO VIEJO, MICHOACAN, MEXICO
- City: PUEBLO VIEJO, MICHOACAN, MEXICO
- Country: Mexico
- Topics: Environment
- Reuters ID: LVA0016P9YTS3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Residents in a sleepy Mexican town fear that a new volcano is bubbling under the ground after an eruption of gas and smoke emerged from a field, local media reported.
According to reports, cracks have appeared on the ground in Pueblo Viejo in the southern state of Michoacan, with temperatures of some 250 degrees (482 Fahrenheit) registered in the subsoil.
Local residents gathered at the site with preliminary investigations revealing that the cause of the eruption was geothermal activity from an underground swamp.
Smoke has been rising from the ground since Sunday (July 9) and local authorities have set up a security cordon to stop residents from getting close and possibly getting burnt by the high temperatures. Although experts have reassured residents that a volcano will not form, residents remain sceptical. According to reports, there are over 3,000 volcanoes in Mexico but some 45 of them are considered active. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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