Philippines evacuates thousands of people in anticipation of Mayon volcano eruption

Tro bụi phun lên từ miệng núi lửa Mayon ở Legaspi, tỉnh Albay, Philippines, ngày 8-6-2023. Ảnh: AFP/TTXVN
Ash rises from the crater of Mayon volcano in Legaspi, Albay province, Philippines, June 8, 2023. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

According to a VNA correspondent in Southeast Asia, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said that on the night of June 8, 2023, a stream of light was observed coming from the crater along with a stream of molten rock coming out from the top of the mountain.

The agency said Mayon volcano is at alert level 3, meaning "relatively high instability" due to the large amount of magma in the crater and a dangerous eruption could occur within weeks or even days.

About 2,400 households, or about 10,000 people in total, will have to evacuate from the danger zone around the volcano, according to the Albay provincial information office.

Mayon Volcano is located in Albay province, 330 km southeast of Manila. The volcano has a unique cone shape and is a popular tourist destination. Mayon Volcano has erupted more than 50 times in the past 400 years. During the eruption five years ago, the volcano spewed millions of tons of ash, rocks and lava, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate.

The Philippines lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and is regularly hit by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The most powerful eruption in recent decades was that of Mount Pinatubo, 100 km northwest of Manila, which killed more than 800 people in 1991.