Volcanic explosion sends people fleeing

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines’ most active volcano ejected a huge column of lava fragments, ash and smoke in a thunderous explosion Monday, sending thousands of villagers back to evacuation centres and prompting a warning that a violent eruption may be imminent.

The midday explosion sent superheated lava, molten rocks and steam between three-and-a-half to five kilometres into the sky, and then some cascaded down Mount Mayon’s slopes and shrouded nearby villages in darkness, Renato Solidum of the Philippine Institute of Seismology and Volcanology and other officials said.

From the crater, the deadly debris billowed about three kilometres down on the southern plank of Mayon toward a no-entry danger zone. There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries, officials said.

The explosion was the most powerful since the volcano started acting up more than a week ago.

Due to its relatively gentle eruption last week, thousands left emergency shelters and returned to their communities in Legazpi city outside the danger zone. But Monday’s blast sent nearly 12,000 fleeing back to evacuation centres, raising the number of people in those shelters to more than 30,000, Yucot said.

Authorities on Monday raised the alert level to four on a scale of five, which means an explosive eruption is possible within hours or days.

A danger zone around Mayon was expanded to eight km from the crater, which means thousands of villagers will have to leave their homes, officials said.

Airplanes were ordered to stay away from the crater and ash-laden winds and several flights were cancelled.

Volcanic ash fell in about a dozen towns in coconut-growing Albay province, where Mayon lies, and in nearby Camarines Sur province, with visibility being heavily obscured in a few towns because of the thick grey ash fall, Jukes Nunez, an Albay provincial disaster response officer, said by telephone.

“It was like nighttime at noon, there was zero visibility in some areas because the ash fall was so thick,” Nunez said.

Mayon lies about 340 km southeast of Manila.

GETTY IMAGES Motorists travel on a highway as Mount Mayon shoots up a giant mushroomshaped cloud as it continues to erupt near Legazpi City in Albay province, south of Manila, Philippines, on Monday.