The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology on Thursday warned of the impending “dangerous eruption” of a volcano in the center of the archipelago and called for the evacuation of the population.
Following this warning, hundreds of families living near Mount Mayon in Albay province are expected to be relocated to safer areas.
The institute warned of “increased risks” of lava flows, “dangerous” gas releases and “potential explosive activity in the coming weeks and even days.”
The alert level increased to a level of 2 to 3 on a scale of 0 to 5.
Located about 330 km southeast of Manila, Mayon, which looks like a near-perfect cone, is considered one of the 24 most unstable active volcanoes in the Philippines.
The Institute of Seismology said it observed the rapid development of three avalanches of hot volcanic ash, rocks and gas, known as CDP (pyroclastic density currents), on the east and south-east slopes of the Mayon on Thursday.
“All necessary preparations have been made,” said Eugene Escobar, director of the Albay Provincial Natural Disasters Agency.
Rommel Negrete, an employee of this agency, announced that the residents of the village of Anoling would be evacuated from the slopes of the volcano.
At the same time, Taal Volcano, some 50km south of the Philippine capital, this week released sulfur dioxide and blanketed nearby villages in a plume of ash, forcing residents to hide in their homes.
Alert level 1 was set by the Seismology Institute, which observed clouds of vapor in the sky two kilometers above sea level.
Due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic plates meet, the Philippines is subject to frequent volcanic and seismic activity.
Tens of thousands of people were displaced five years ago when the Mayon spewed millions of tons of ash, rocks and lava into the Bicol region.
The most violent eruption in recent decades was that of Mount Pinatubo in 1991, which killed more than 800 people about 100 km northwest of Manila.