A WOMAN has been killed and four children are injured after a group of hikers fell into a volcano crater in Mexico.
The 36-year-old victim was found dead at the scene after plunging to her death at the Xitle volcano.
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A woman has been declared dead after a group of hikers fell into a volcano crater Credit: Twitter/@SGIRPC_CDMX 3
Rescue teams were swiftly called to the Xitle volcano, Mexico Credit: Twitter/@SGIRPC_CDMX
Two children aged 14 & 12 were rushed to hospital by air ambulance for specialised treatment following the tragedy.
While two other boys, aged 13 and 14, were also taken to hospital after suffering severe head trauma and a 35-year-old man was treated for blows to the body.
Local Mexican Police have yet to release a statement on the incident as the injured hikers recover in hospital.
The group were believed to be visiting the historic Xitle volcano, located in the Ajusco range in the Cumbres del Ajuso National Park.
According to academic studies the 1700-year-old dormant mountain has only ever erupted once.
It continues to feed an extensive lava field, which is now home to more than 600,000 people.
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Rescue teams carried out their rescue protocols as two children and a 35-year-old man was airlifted to hospital Credit: Twitter/@SGIRPC_CDMX
In May this year, thousands of people were evacuated after the Nyiragongo volcano erupted in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Residents reported that they could smell of sulphur in the air and watched as the sky turned red.
"The sky has turned red," one resident, Carine Mbala, told AFP by telephone.
"There is a smell of sulphur. In the distance you can see giant flames coming out of the mountain.
"But there has not been any earthquake," she added.
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The deadliest eruption of the 3,000-metre high volcano was in 1977, when more than 600 died.
According to a 2017 report published in the Journal of Applied Volcanology, 540 people die a year from volcano related incidents.
It states that “Local residents are the most frequently killed, but tourists, volcanologists and members of the media are also identified as common victims.”
Thousands evacuated as Nyiragongo volcano erupts and fumes turn the sky red in apocalyptic scenes