MEXICO’S POPOCATÉPETL VOLCANO has roared into life erupting twice in the space of 12 hours.

The first blast was discharged on Saturday night when lava spewed out of the crater and a huge column of smoke and ash was sent two kilometers into the air.

The volcano erupted again in the early hours Sunday morning when another pillar of smoke surged into the sky.

Video footage of the eruptions shows streams of lava cascading down the side of the mountain.

The twin eruptions have prompted authorities to warn people to watch out for falling ash and to avoid the area if possible.

The snow-capped volcano, which regularly exhales these giant ash clouds, sits in the states of Puebla and Morelos in central Mexico. It’s only approximately 60 kilometers from Mexico City.

Known colloquially as El Popo, the volcano was dormant for around 50 years before erupting in 1994. It has regularly been venting ash and spurting lava for more than 20 years since.

In December 2000 it unleashed its largest eruption in 1,200 years, prompting a mass evacuation of the surrounding countryside.