A Trip to Purace

Inactive since 1933 and unsealed for years, Colombia's snow-capped Purace Volcano seemed just the place for an adventurous outing. From the high school at Popayan 24 miles away, 18 students and a truck driver set off one morning last week to climb the mile-high mountain. Except for two students who got tired and lagged a quarter mile behind, the climbers had no trouble getting close to the top. Just as they opened a bottle of rum to celebrate their easy success, a terrific explosion shook Puracee.

From the long-quiet crater a column of fire and molten rock gushed 2,500 feet into the sky. Boiling lava poured down the volcano's sides. As the two laggards fled, they saw their companions frantically trying to escape from the path of the fiery lava streaming toward them. Then a big mushroom-shaped cloud settled over the summit.

Purace's tantrum was soon over. On the volcano's slopes next day, rescue crews found nine of the 17 bodies. The others had been buried deep under the lava.

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