WORLD NEWS | Philippines’ most active volcano spews lava as locals prepare to evacuate in case of explosion

DALAGA (Philippines) June 12 (AP) — The Philippines’ most active volcano has begun a mild eruption, spewing lava and putting tens of thousands of people on high alert for a violent explosion that could force them to evacuate their homes abruptly, authorities said on Monday.

More than 12,000 villagers have so far left their homes and were forced to evacuate mostly impoverished farming communities within a six-kilometer radius of the Mayon volcano crater in northeastern Albay province. The evacuations came after the volcano started showing signs of new unrest last week.

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Authorities have warned that thousands more remain in the permanent danger zone below Mayon, which has long been declared a no-go zone.

Teresito Bacolcol, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, said as the volcano began spewing lava Sunday night, there was a high risk around Mayon if the eruption became violent. Regions may expand.

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People in any expanded danger zone should be prepared to evacuate to emergency shelters if that happens, Bacolcol said.

A group of Associated Press reporters watched from a distance Sunday night as the volcano spewed lava from a gully in its southeast for hours. On the seafront of Legazpi, the capital of Albay province, about 14 kilometers from Mayon, people hurried out of restaurants and bars, many snapping photos of the country’s most popular volcano.

Albay declared a state of emergency on Friday to allow for faster distribution of any relief funds in the event of a major eruption. Authorities raised the alert level for the 8,077-foot volcano on Thursday.

An important tourist attraction due to its picturesque conical shape, Mayon Volcano is one of 24 active volcanoes in the country. It last erupted violently in 2018, displacing tens of thousands of villagers.

In 1814, Mayon erupted and buried an entire village, reportedly killing more than 1,000 people. But many in Albay have accepted the volcano’s sporadic outrage as part of their lives.

In addition to villagers who live in communities near the dangerous volcano, authorities and villagers on Sunday began moving large numbers of cows and buffaloes from high-risk farms to 25 temporary grazing areas at a safe distance.

They are following more than 12,600 villagers who have been evacuated to emergency shelters since last week, when Mayon Volcano began spewing superheated gases and producing large amounts of ash, a sign that a major eruption could be coming within days or weeks.

“Not only people should be taken to safety, but their farm animals should also be taken to safety,” Albay veterinarian Manny Victorino told the Associated Press.

He said authorities were taking steps to avoid a deeper economic impact from the eruption.

In the village of Matnog in the town of Daraga, Victorino and his team of veterinarians dewormed several cows and buffaloes, injected vitamin supplements and put identification tags on their ears for better monitoring.

The livestock evacuation underscores the government’s predicament in responding to the threat of about two dozen active volcanoes, led by Mayon, that dot the sprawling archipelago. The Philippines sits on the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire” – a region prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions – and is also battered by about 20 typhoons and storms a year, making the Southeast Asian nation one of the world’s worst disaster-prone countries. .

On Sunday mornings, crowds of people jog or cycle, join groups dancing to disco music, and walk their dogs on Legazpi’s promenade. The volcano is hidden in the thick clouds in the distance.

Resident Violeto Peralta drew the attention of passers-by by drawing an image of the Mayon eruption on the concrete fence of his roadside home. Schoolchildren passing by would happily use his drawings as backgrounds for selfies, he said.

He said many businesses in the province have grown rich from the various tourism activities that have sprung up from Mayon, including sightseeing tours around the country’s most active volcano.

“We’re not scared,” the 76-year-old said. “We’ve learned to live with it.” (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)