Global Courant
MANILA — Thousands of people living near a Philippine volcano have sought refuge in evacuation centers, as officials warned Sunday of health risks from ash and toxic gases spewing from the rumbling crater.
Seismological researchers said they had recorded at least one volcanic earthquake in the past 24 hours and red-hot rocks fell from Mount Mayon in central Albay province.
More than 12,800 people, most from farming villages at or near the base of the volcano, have been transferred to evacuation centers, the Philippine civil defense agency said.
“There is an additional health risk if you are close to the eruption from inhaling sulfur dioxide gas or the particles of ash,” health secretary Teodoro Herbosa told a press briefing on Sunday.
Mayon, about 330 km southeast of the capital Manila, is considered one of the most volatile of the country’s 24 active volcanoes.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said rocks fell from a disintegrating lava dome and were pushed out of the crater by molten material beneath the Earth.
The rocks rained down on areas up to two miles away, and sulfur dioxide emissions had tripled by Saturday, state volcanologists said.
A five-step warning system for the volcano was increased from two to three on Thursday, with authorities warning of possible respiratory illnesses from fumes inhalation.
“With Albay in a state of disaster due to Mayon’s activities, we are reminding people to follow your local governments’ recommendations and evacuation instructions,” said Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Saturday.
Earthquakes and volcanic activity are common in the Philippines due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire where tectonic plates collide.
Five years ago, Mayon displaced tens of thousands of people after spewing millions of tons of ash, rocks and lava.
The country’s most powerful eruption in recent decades was Mount Pinatubo in 1991, which killed more than 800 people.
That disaster caused an ash plume that traveled thousands of miles. AFP
