Global Courant
Manila, Philippines –
Philippine officials on Thursday raised the alert level for one of the country’s most active volcanoes after superheated gas streams, debris and rocks poured down its upper slope in a state they fear could spiral into a dangerous eruption within days or weeks. can lead.
Villagers living within a 6-kilometre (3.7 mi) radius of Mayon Volcano’s crater were told to leave the long-designated permanent danger zone and move to safer terrain due to the danger of volcanic emissions, lava flows , stonefall and other hazards, officials said.
“Civil aviation authorities should also advise pilots not to fly close to the top of the volcano, as ash from a sudden eruption could be dangerous to aircraft,” said the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.
A tourist attraction in the northeastern province of Albay for its picturesque cone shape, Mayon is one of the most restless of two dozen active volcanoes in the Philippines. It last erupted violently in 2018, displacing tens of thousands of villagers.
Government volcano experts said they raised the warning level around Mayon to the third of a five-step warning system after detecting an increasing number of rockfalls and at least two volcanic earthquakes in recent days. Three brief volcanic gas and ash emissions on Thursday streamed down the volcano’s southeastern trench, about a kilometer (half a mile) from the crater, they said.
“This means that Mayon shows a magmatic eruption from a summit lava dome with increased likelihood of lava flows…
Aside from Mayon, officials kept a close eye on Taal Volcano south of Manila and Mount Kanlaon on the central island of Negros due to renewed signs of unrest.
A number of villages in three towns near Taal suspended classes on Wednesday due to thick smog billowing from the volcano, one of the world’s smallest, and residents were advised to limit outdoor activities and wear masks for protection.
The Philippines lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. A long-dormant volcano, Mount Pinatubo blew its top north of Manila in 1991 in one of the largest volcanic eruptions of the 20th century, killing hundreds.
