Eruption in Colombia. Seventeen students were reported killed in a sudden eruption near the summit of the 15,416-foot volcano Purace (2° 20' N., 76° 40' W.) on 26 May 1949. The volcano had been inactive for 16 years. Two other students, who were behind the main party, said that their companions were buried under a lava flow in a matter of seconds or killed by showers of falling rocks and ash.