CAMALIG, Albay (AFP) – Thousands fled their homes as lava oozed out of the Mayon Volcano yesterday in what volcanologists described as a “quiet eruption,” warning it could lead to a hazardous explosion within days.
Lava was slowly flowing out of Mayon’s crater along with a spectacular 3,280-foot ash plume rising into the sky, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.
More than 12,000 people have been ordered to leave a seven-kilometer danger zone around the crater, as officials warned them of potentially destructive mudflows and toxic clouds.
“Technically, the volcano is erupting but the eruption is fairly quiet. It may escalate into a hazardous eruption,” Paul Alanis, science research specialist at Phivolcs, said.
A hazardous or explosive eruption means a lava fountain or a spray of hot rocks and gases that could move as fast as 60 kilometers per hour, Alanis added.
Local disaster officials also warned of volcanic mudflows known as lahars. “Because of continuous rains in past weeks, debris deposited on the slopes of Mayon could lead to lahar flows. If rain does not stop, it could be hazardous,” Claudio Yucot, head of the regional Office of Civil Defense, said.
Mayon, a near-perfect cone that draws thousands of tourists, even during minor eruptions, rises 8,070 feet above a largely agricultural region some 330 kilometers southwest of Manila. It is the considered the nation’s most active volcano.
Steam-driven eruptions and rockfalls began over the weekend, and the crater began glowing on Sunday evening, in what Phivolcs said was a sign of the growth of a new lava dome.
Lava last flowed out of Mayon in 2014 when 63,000 people fled their homes.
