Thousands flee as volcano rains ash in Philippines

A GIANT mushroom-shaped cloud shot up from the Philippines’ most active volcano yesterday, turning day into night as it rained ash on communities, where tens of thousands have fled after warnings of an impending eruption.

“Hazardous eruption imminent,” the state volcanology agency concluded in its latest bulletin, saying the Mayon volcano could blow up within days after two weeks of activity.

Fine ash and sand fell on Legazpi, a city of about 200 000 people, and nearby areas after the midday explosion turned the area into virtual night time, forcing motorists to switch on their lights and use windscreen wipers, a reporter said.

The ash column rose several kilometres above the volcano, blotting out the sun in a largely agricultural region some 330km southeast of Manila.

“I had to stop because my helmet had filled up with ash,” local housewife Girlie Panesa, 39, told reporters as she parked her motorcycle by the roadside in the nearby town of Ligao.

She asked bystanders for water to wash the cementgrey ash off her visor, saying she planned to ride home despite the hazardous conditions because her teenage daughter was alone in their house.

“We expect the explosions to continue,” Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology director Renato Solidum told a news conference in Manila.

“There is a possibility of a dangerous eruption, the start of which we are already witnessing,” he added.

He advised local officials to evacuate more areas around the crater, expanding the danger zone from 6km to 8km.

He also warned aircraft to steer clear of the area due to the danger of jet engines sucking in ash which could gum up turbines, and cause planes to crash.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said it had shut down Legazpi airport until further notice, disrupting several domestic flights, while warning off other aircraft from the region.

More than 40 000 people had fled in the past week, the civil defence office in Manila said yesterday.

Solidum said superheated volcanic rocks and ash rolled down the volcano’s flanks while the ash column was shooting up, threatening communities.

Mayon, a near-perfect cone, rises 2 460m and is considered the most volatile of the country’s 22 active volcanoes.