Volcano rumbles near Mexico City, coating towns with ash, disrupting flights

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Towering a couple of hours from one of the world's largest cities, the Popocatepetl volcano has been coating nearby towns with ash and disrupting flights at Mexico City's airport, the busiest in Latin America. Hundreds of explosions have spit lava from the snow-tipped peak of the 17,797-foot Popocatepetl (puh-puh-ka-TEH-pet-tl). Approximately 25 million people live within 60 miles of the mountain. Volcanologists say that, while a massive eruption doesn't appear imminent, eruptions are likely to continue, as they have for three decades. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]