A small volcano in a lake in the Philippines erupted with a massive plume of ash and steam Sunday, prompting the evacuation of tens of thousands of people and forcing Manila’s international airport to close.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said Taal volcano in Batangas province south of Manila blasted steam, ash and pebbles up to 9 miles into the sky.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, but authorities scrambled to evacuate more than 6,000 villagers from an island in the middle of the lake and tens of thousands more from nearby coastal towns, officials said. About 300,000 people were identified to be moved to safety in Batangas overnight and in the next few days.
We have asked people in high-risk areas, including the volcano island, to evacuate now ahead of a possible hazardous eruption, Solidum said.
Renelyn Bautista, a 38-year-old housewife who was among thousands of residents who fled from Batangas province’s Laurel town, said she hitched a ride to safety from her home with her two children, including a 4-month-old baby, after Taal erupted and the ground shook mildly.
We hurriedly evacuated when the air turned muddy because of the ashfall and it started to smell like gunpowder, Bautista said by phone.
Fallen ash covered the runways at Manila’s international airport Sunday night. All departing and arriving international and domestic flights were suspended due to volcanic ash in the vicinity of the airport and nearby air routes, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said.
Taal lies around 37 miles south of Manila.
The volcanology institute said the small island where the volcano lies is a permanent danger zone, although fishing villages have existed there for years. It asked nearby coastal communities to take precautionary measures and be vigilant of possible lake water disturbances related to the ongoing unrest.
euronews 2020