Mexico volcano spews ash

(ROUGH CUT ONLY - NO REPORTER NARRATION)

Mexico's Colima Volcano erupted on Sunday (January 6), sending a massive plume of ash and gas over 9,843 feet (3,000 metres) into the sky.

The 12,664 foot (3,860 metre) volcano is located in a sparsely populated rural area, and has been one of Mexico's most active volcanoes in recent years.

Gabriel Reyes, the director of the Department of Volcanology at the University of Colima, said that the plume of gas was likely due to a chemical reaction which took place inside the volcano.

So far, no local residents have been evacuated from towns nearby the volcano, which straddles the border between the states of Colima and Jalisco.

Local authorities have ordered the evacuation of visitors to the Nevado de Colima National Park due to the volcanic activity.

The volcano's most significant eruption took place on January 20, 1913, and lasted four days. Ash flows characterized the eruption which left a crater measuring 984 feet (300 metres) in depth.

After 1913, the volcano remained dormant for 44 years before it became active again. Significant eruptions were registered in 1961, 1987 and 1994, and dozens of smaller events have been recorded. In 2002, a significant eruption forced the evacuation of local villages in the area.