The 2,462-meter volcano is one of the Philippines’ main tourist attractions due to its almost perfect conical shape. But it is also the most active of the country’s 24 volcanoes
More than 300 families were evacuated from their homes after the Mayon volcano spewed huge amounts of ash over the weekend as lava deposits collapsed, Philippine authorities said.
There was no explosive eruption from Mayon, which has been erupting moderately and intermittently since January, but huge deposits of lava on the volcano’s southwestern slope suddenly descended in a pyroclastic current — an avalanche of hot rocks, ash and gas — before dark on Saturday, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology director Teresito Bacolcol said.
Authorities said no deaths or injuries were reported, but huge clouds of ash spread across 87 villages in three towns, catching many by surprise and affecting road traffic due to poor visibility.
“The ashfall was so dense that visibility was zero, even on our national highway,” said the mayor of Camalig, Caloy Baldo, whose city is near the foot of the volcano.
“Some villagers panicked, but we advised them to calm down,” Baldo said, speaking to the Associated Press news agency.
Farms were damaged by ashfall, which also killed four buffaloes and a cow in Camalig, Baldo said, adding that a clean-up operation was underway in the town of 8,000 people in the Philippine province of Albay.
“Now everything is calm again, but the danger is always present,” said Bacolcol, regarding the state of Mayon today.
The 2,462-meter volcano is one of the Philippines’ main tourist attractions due to its almost perfect conical shape. But it is also the most active of the country’s 24 volcanoes.
Authorities raised the five-level alert around Mayon to level 3 in January following a series of moderate eruptions, which caused intermittent rockfalls, some the size of cars, from the peak’s crater, along with deadly pyroclastic flows.
