9
Due to increased volcanic activity, at least 12,800 people had to be evacuated around the mountain.
Due to increased volcanic activity in the region, tens of thousands of mostly poor farmers live on the slopes of Mayon, the most active volcano in the Philippines, which has started sending lava down its slopes.
According to Teresito Bacolcol, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, authorities were on alert for the appearance of lava on the slopes of Mayon on Sunday evening.
“We see it every day,” Bacolcol told Drita news agency. “What we are seeing now is excessive eruption.”
Since last week, more than 12,800 people living within a 6 km (3.7 mile) radius of Mayon Volcano have been evacuated. It’s possible the high-risk area could expand if the eruption turns violent, Bacolcol said.
The area under Mayon, about 330 km (205 miles) southeast of the capital Manila, has been designated a permanent danger zone, but thousands of people continue to live there with nowhere to go.
Volcanologists said the lava was a further sign of increased activity, noting there were also about 260 rockfalls in the past 24 hours, down from 177 in the previous 24 hours. More vibrations have also been recorded – 21 in the past 24 hours compared to the previous two.
Sulfur dioxide emissions also tripled on Saturday, according to state volcanologists.
“There is a health risk related to the proximity of an eruption due to the inhalation of sulfur dioxide or the fall of ash particles,” Health Minister Teodoro Herbosa said on Sunday during a a press conference.
The volcano’s alert level remains at three on the Philippines’ five-stage system, meaning there is a tendency for a dangerous eruption within weeks or days.
Albay province, where the cone-shaped Mayon is a popular tourist attraction, was placed under a state of emergency on Friday to allow faster distribution of relief funds in the event of a major disaster.
Mayon is one of 24 active volcanoes in the Philippines and last erupted violently in 2018, displacing tens of thousands of villagers.
The islands lie on the so-called “Ring of Fire” of the Pacific, at the edges of seismic fault lines where most earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur. It also sees frequent typhoons and tropical storms with a forecast for a typhoon to hit the region this weekend.
The country’s most powerful eruption in recent decades was Mount Pinatubo in 1991, which killed more than 800 people and sent ash clouds that traveled thousands of miles.
“Thinker. Hardcore web aficionado. Zombie evangelist. Pop culture trailblazer. Student. Passionate twitter maven.”
