The group finally left the mountain at 6 am Saturday after a lengthy and dangerous rescue effort that began around midday Friday and was complicated by unstable terrain, rain and cold.

Images from recent days' Volcán Turrialba activities.

The spewing of ash, rocks and gases that started Friday at Turrialba Volcano continued almost uninterrupted Monday afternoon, the National University's Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica reported.

Two Costa Rican volcanoes, Turrialba in Cartago province and Rincón de la Vieja in Guanacaste, began to show increased activity over the weekend.

An eruption at 5 a.m. Friday lasted for some 20 minutes, according to the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica.

Based on Monday's inspection results, OVSICORI’s experts will decide whether some of the 84 telecommunications towers on Irazú need to be relocated to safer ground.

Costa Rica's Agriculture and Livestock Minister Luis Felipe Arauz confirmed Thursday morning that crops of carrots, cabbage, onions, cauliflower and potatoes grown north of the province of Cartago “have not been severely affected by the Turrialba Volcano’s activity.”

Volcanologists from the University of Costa Rica’s National Seismological Network (RSN) are installing two video cameras and two thermal cameras at Poás Volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in the country.

The volcano that made La Fortuna abruptly quieted in October of 2010. Can the town rebrand itself as a rain-forest-adventure destination?