Red-hot lava yesterday gushed out of a volcano near the Philippine capital, as tens of thousands of people fled the area through heavy ash and frightening tremors.
Experts said the eruption could get worse and plans were being made to evacuate hundreds of thousands more.
Clouds of ash on Sunday blew more than 100km north of the Taal volcano, reaching Manila and forcing the shutdown of Ninoy Aquino International Airport, with more than 500 flights canceled. The airport was partially reopened yesterday after the ashfall eased.
Photo: Reuters
There have been no reports of casualties or major damage so far.
Schools and businesses were shut across Manila.
“The speed of escalation of Taal’s volcanic activity caught us by surprise,” Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology chief science research specialist Maria Antonia Bornas said. “We have detected magma. It’s still deep, it hasn’t reached the surface. We still can expect a hazardous eruption any time.”
The disaster-response agency and other officials reported that more than 30,000 villagers have fled their homes in the hard-hit province of Batangas and nearby Cavite province, but officials expect the number to swell with hundreds of thousands more moving out of harm’s way.
Some residents could not immediately move out of ash-blanketed villages due to a lack of transport and poor visibility. Others refused to leave their homes and farms.
“We have a problem — our people are panicking due to the volcano, because they want to save their livelihood, their pigs and herds of cows,” Balete Mayor Wilson Maralit told DZMM radio. “We’re trying to stop them from returning and warning that the volcano can explode again anytime and hit them.”
Maralit, whose town lies along the shoreline of Taal Lake surrounding the volcano, appealed for troops and more policemen to stop distraught residents from sneaking back to their high-risk villages.
Authorities warned that an eruption could send a tsunami surging across the lake.
After a cleanup and ash-laden winds shifted away from Manila, officials partially reopened the main airport and allowed stranded planes to take off yesterday.
Airport manager Ed Monreal told a news conference that incoming flights could be accommodated once parking bays are freed up, but warned that the airport might be closed again if the danger returns.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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