Mount Mayon erupted with ash plumes of up to 5 kilometers (3 miles) above the crater on January 24 (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Philippines’ Mount Mayon erupted with ash plumes of up to 5kilometers (3 miles) above the crater on January 24, forcing more than 61,000people to evacuate.
ThePhilippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said that Mount Mayon hasspewed lava up to 600 meters (2,000 feet) high every seven minutes in one hour.
Earlier,local authorities raised alert level to four in a five-level alert system.
Schools in17 cities in Albay and Camarines Sur provinces have been closed, while 56flights have been cancelled.
Currently,55,068 people are taking shelter in evacuation camps, while 6,165 others have hadto leave their houses for safer places after local authorities expanded theno-go zone to 9 kilometers (5 miles) from the crater instead of 8 kilometerspreviously.
The 2,462mMount Mayon, one of the most active volcanoes in the Philippines, is in Albayprovince on the Philippine main island of Luzon, more than 300 km southeast ofthe capital Manila.
In an 1814 eruption, more than 1,200 people werekilled and three towns were buried under mud and rock. It has erupted 51 timesin the last 400 years.-VNA
VNA
