Thousands evacuated as Philippine volcano spews ash, rocks

Thousands of people living near a Philippine volcano took refuge in evacuation shelters on Sunday, as officials warned of health dangers from ash and hazardous gases erupting from the rumbling crater.

Seismologists reported at least one volcanic earthquake in the last 24 hours, with red-hot rocks dropping from Mount Mayon in the central province of Albay.

According to the Philippine Civil Defence Office, about 12,800 people have been relocated to evacuation camps, the majority of them are from farming areas at or near the volcano’s base.

“There is a concomitant health risk while being close to the eruption because of inhaling sulphur dioxide gas or the particulate matter of ashfalls,” Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa told a press briefing Sunday.

Mayon, about 330 kilometres (205 miles) southeast of the capital Manila, is considered one of the most volatile of the country’s 24 active volcanoes.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said rocks were falling from a disintegrating lava dome being pushed out of the crater by molten material below the earth.

The rocks were raining down on areas up to two kilometres away and sulphur dioxide emissions had tripled on Saturday, state volcanologists said.

A five-step alert system for the volcano was raised from two to three on Thursday, with authorities warning of possible respiratory illnesses from inhaling fumes.

“With Albay in a state of calamity due to Mayon’s activity, we remind people to follow the recommendations and evacuation instructions of your local governments,” Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said Saturday.

Earthquakes and volcanic activity are common in the Philippines due to their position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where tectonic plates collide.

Five years ago, Mayon displaced tens of thousands of people after spewing millions of tonnes of ash, rocks and lava.

The country’s most powerful eruption in recent decades was Mount Pinatubo in 1991 which killed more than 800 people.

That disaster produced an ash cloud that travelled thousands of kilometres.

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