In the Philippines, thousands of people evacuated the area south of Manila after Mayon Volcano erupted and authorities advised the public to stay out of the six-kilometre radius danger zone.
The volcanology institute issued Alert Level 3 on its five-step scale, reporting strombolian activity and short-lived lava fountaining from one of the country’s most active volcanoes. It also warned of possible landslides and lava flows.
Nearly 1,500 families are now staying in evacuation centres, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development. Heavy ashfall blanketed several towns in Albay province, disrupting traffic.
Mayon Volcano is an active stratovolcano in Albay province on Luzon island. It lies about 330 kilometres south-east of Manila and forms part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a belt of frequent earthquakes and volcanoes around the Pacific Ocean.
Alert Level 3 and danger zone.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, or Phivolcs, uses a five-step alert system for volcanoes in the Philippines. Alert Level 3 means intensified unrest with possible magmatic activity, and the six-kilometre Permanent Danger Zone around Mayon’s crater remains off-limits.