Mt. Mayon Spews Lava and Ashes
Local officials of Albay ordered the evacuation yesterday of thousands of people living near Mt. Mayon with warning of a possible eruption within a week. The officials issued mandatory evacuations at the 6-8 kilometer danger zone around Mayon Volcano, after the state geological agency Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) raised the volcano’s alert level to 3.
Since Monday morning, the Phivolcs has recorded six small ash explosions from the volcano, and at around 6 p.m. (Phlippine Time) lava started flowing out of the crater. Alert Level 3 was raised by the geological agency at around 8 p.m.
‚ÄúThe volcano is showing increased activity and we deem it necessary to raise the alert,‚Äù chief volcanologist Renato Solidum told Reuters, saying ‚Äúincandescent material‚Äù had been rapidly moving up to the crater and streaking down Mayon’s southeastern slope.
Phivolcs had said that there had been an increase in the current activity of Mayon Volcano since June 2009. The last lava flows Mt. Mayon, were last recorded between July and August 2006.
According to Phivolcs, Mayon Volcano’s most destructive eruption was in February 1, 1814 when 1,200 people died after large parts of Albay, including Cagsawa Church, were buried by lava. And in June-July 1897, 350 people died due to pyroclastic flows after another destructive eurption of Mayon Volcano that lasted 17 hours.
Video Credit: ABS-CBN News
