Philippine volcano eruption forces 45,000 people to evacuate

PanARMENIAN.Net - A volcano in the Philippines erupted for a second day on Monday, January 13, draping parts of Manila in ash, disrupting hundreds of flights and forcing schools and the stock exchange to shut, Financial Times reports.

Taal Volcano, located 100km south of Manila, first erupted on Sunday, sending a column of ash and steam up to 15km into the atmosphere. Philippine authorities evacuated more than 45,000 people from the area and warned that a big eruption could follow.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), said on Monday that alert level four (out of a possible five) remained in effect over the volcano, meaning that a “hazardous explosive eruption” was possible.

Phivolcs said the volcano had entered a period of “intense unrest” and warned people north of Taal to “guard against the effects of heavy and prolonged ashfall”. On Monday, lava began spewing out of the volcano.

Flights into Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport, 85km from Taal, were grounded overnight and more than 500 flights cancelled. By Monday afternoon, the airport’s runway had been cleared of ash, with priority given to departing flights.