2,000 evacuated as Mayon danger grows

Affected residents wearing face masks being evacuated. (Photo from the Facebook account of Albay 2nd District Representative Joey Salceda)

MANILA: More than 2,000 people have been evacuated as the Philippines’ most active volcano continued to spew ash on Sunday.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said it has recorded three phreatic or steam-driven eruptions at Mayon volcano in less than 24 hours.
The first explosion was reported late Saturday afternoon when the volcano unleashed a grayish steam and ash plume about 2,500 meters high which drifted to the southwest portion.
After the eruption, authorities ordered the immediate evacuation of residents near the volcano.
Based on seismic records, the volcano’s activity started around 4:21 p.m. Saturday and lasted around one hour and 47 minutes.
At 12:30 a.m. Sunday, Phivolcs raised the alert on Mayon volcano to level 2, citing signs of rising magma that “could lead to more phreatic eruptions or eventually to hazardous magmatic eruptions.”
Another phreatic eruption was recorded at 8:49 a.m. Sunday, lasting about five minutes.
“The event produced a grayish steam and ash plume that was largely obscured by summit clouds,” the Phivolcs said. Sulfurous odor was detected and rumbling sounds were heard by residents living within the immediate vicinity of the volcano.
The third eruption was recorded at 11:43 a.m. and lasted about 15 minutes.
Since the first eruption, rockfall events have been intermittently recorded and are continuing as of reporting time. Faint crater glow was also first observed at 10:16 p.m. Saturday.
The public had been advised to be vigilant and desist from entering the 6km-radius Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) to minimize risks from sudden explosions, rockfall and landslides.
People affected by the ashfall were likewise advised to cover their nose and mouth with damp, clean cloth or dust mask.
Civil aviation authorities were also told to advise pilots to avoid flying close to the volcano’s summit as ash from any sudden eruption can be hazardous to aircraft.
Meanwhile, Chief Inspector Arthur Gomez, spokesperson of the Albay Provincial Police Office, said more than 2,000 residents have been evacuated and are now temporarily seeking shelter in three elementary schools.
Gomez said 475 families or 1,576 people are now staying at the Guinobatan Elementary Central School; 98 families or 343 people at Cabangan Elementary School; and 92 families or 368 people at Anoling Elementary School.
Antonia Bornas, Phivolcs’ volcano Monitoring and Eruption Prediction Division said in a radio interview there is the possibility of raising Mayon’s alert level to 3, citing inflationary changes or a slight swelling of its edifice.
Raising the volcano’s alert level would mean extending the danger zone up to 8km and the need to evacuate residents in the cities of cities of Ligao, Sto. Domingo, Tabaco City in Malilipot and Legazpi.
Famous for its near-perfect cone shape, Mayon volcano is a major landmark in Albay province south of the Philippines’ capital of Manila. It is also the most active volcano in the country, with at least 50 eruptions since 1616.
Mayon’s most destructive eruption was in 1814, which claimed about 1,200 lives and destroyed the historical Cagsawa church.