Manila, Philippines — More than 300 families have been evacuated after massive amounts of ash spewed lava from the slopes of Mayon Volcano over the weekend, officials said Monday.
There was no explosive explosion from MayonThe volcano, which has been erupting intermittently since January, but a huge reservoir of lava on its southwestern slope suddenly came down in a pyroclastic flow — an avalanche of hot rocks, ash and gas — before nightfall on Saturday, said Teresito Bacolocal, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.
Officials said no deaths or injuries were reported, but large clouds of ash spread over 87 villages in three towns, catching many by surprise and causing motorists to slow down due to poor visibility.
“The ash was so thick that visibility was zero even on our national road,” said Caloy Baldo, mayor of Camalig, a town near the base of the volcano.
“Some villagers panicked but we advised them to remain calm,” Baldo told The Associated Press.
Falling ash that damaged vegetable fields also killed four water buffalo and a cow in Camalig, Baldo said, adding that cleanup work was underway in his town of 8,000 people in Albay province.
“Now it is calm again but the danger is always there,” Bacolcol said of the situation in Mayon on Monday.
The 2,462-metre (8,077 ft) high volcano is one of the top tourist attractions in the Philippines due to its perfect conical shape. But it is also the most active of the country’s 24 Volcano.
Authorities raised the five-phase alert around Mayon to level 3 after a series of mild eruptions in January caused deadly pyroclastic flows as well as intermittent falls of rocks from its extreme crater, some of which were as large as cars.
Alert 5 means that an explosive and life-threatening eruption is occurring with lethal volcanic lava and pyroclastic flows and heavy ash.
