Mexico climber dies scaling active, off-limits volcano

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A woman mountain climber in Mexico is dead and a climbing companion was injured when they scaled the highly active, off-limits peak of the Popocatepetl volcano. Mexico’s volunteer Mountain Rescue and Assistance Brigade confirmed that the climbers fell into a gully about 1,000 feet (300 meters) from the volcano’s crater, suggesting they had reached the crater or near it. The crater has been belching ash and incandescent rock for years. Civil defense authorities have strictly prohibited climbers from going within 7.5 miles (12 kilometers) of the peak. The mayor of the nearby town of Ozumba identified the dead woman as a 22-year-old resident of the town.