Mt Mayon sends thousands fleeing to safety
Latest high-risk craze
The Philippines’ most active volcano has continued to spew fountains of lava and massive ash plumes in a dazzling but increasingly dangerous eruption that has has forced the evacuation of 40,000 villagers.
Lava fountains gushed 700m above Mt Mayon’s crater and ash plumes rose up to 3km, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. An explosive eruption on Monday was the most powerful since the volcano started acting up more than a week ago.
After Monday’s huge explosion, officials raised Mayon’s alert level to four on a scale of five.
Authorities struggled to prevent villagers from sneaking back to check on their homes and farms and to watch a cockfight in an arena in Albay’s Santo Domingo town despite the risks and police patrols and checkpoints, said Cedric Daep, a provincial disasterresponse official.
“If pyroclastic flows hit people, there is no chance for life,” Daep said.
The daytime eruptions have plunged nearby villages into darkness and sent lava, rocks and debris cascading down Mayon’s slopes.
There have been no reports of deaths and injuries. — AP Sydney detectives are fed up with daredevils risking their lives in a new “rooftopping” craze, warning they’ll take action against anyone illegally accessing high-rise buildings.
Police yesterday said they’d recently been called to five CBD incidents and spoken with more than 80 people over alleged rooftopping incidents.
Rooftoppers scale the highest points of city buildings to take pictures and videos of the cityscape, later posting their adventures on social media platforms such as Instagram and YouTube.
Videos posted online show enthusiasts climbing structures, including radio towers, on top of skyscrapers without safety equipment to take the most impressive images.
Detective Chief Inspector John Maricic said police were at a loss as to why people continue to put their lives in danger.
“The risks associated with the activity are high,” he said in a statement on Facebook yesterday.
“International incidents have seen people die after slipping or falling from buildings.”