Cotopaxi, located 31 miles south of the capital city of Quito, shot a 7-mile cloud of ash into the air on Friday. After the volcano shot ash again and spilled some lava on Saturday, Ecuador's President Rafael Correa declared a state of emergency in the country. Four hundred people were evacuated from the area, according to media reports.
According to Minister Maria del Pilar Cornejo, 325,000 people live in areas that could be directly affected by flows of lava and rocks in the event of a major eruption.
On Saturday, Correa prohibited local media from reporting on the volcano's activity unless the information comes from official sources, which has caused concern among local press freedom groups, The BBC reported.
Cotopaxi is the second-largest volcano in Ecuador and one of the world's highest volcanoes, reaching a height of 19,347 feet.
During the last major eruption in 1877, the city of Latacunga, which lays in the path of the volcano lava, was destroyed.
