Poás Volcano, located 47 km (29 miles) northwest of the Costa Rican capital of San José, erupted Monday morning, authorities said.
The event began at 5:40 a.m. and sent a column of ash 2 km above the volcano’s crater, the National Emergency Commission reported. Unlike last week’s eruption, Monday’s included ash and other solid material — not just gases.
Poás Volcano National Park is closed Monday as authorities monitor volcanic activity.
The Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (OVSICORI), based at Universidad Nacional (UNA), shared the following video of the eruption:
Poás reopened to the public in August 2018 after implementing additional security measures, including shelters, to protect the visiting public in case of an eruption.
“Very few countries in the world take these initiatives to help ensure the public’s safety when they visit national parks with active volcanoes,” said the National Emergency Commission’s Alexander Solis in January.
The organization said that since Poás Volcano reopened to the public, the National Park sees 300 daily visitors during weekdays and accommodates about 1,000 daily during weekends. Spots are limited and must be pre-booked via an online portal, and guests must wear hard hats when they approach the lookout.
OVSICORI transmits live feeds of the Poás crater, which you can watch here.
