More than 12,000 people have had to leave their residential area in the danger zone of the Philippine volcano Mayon, which has recently been very active again. It is possible that the previously slow eruption at the summit will drag on for a few months – or culminate in an explosive eruption, the Philippine Institute for Volcanology and Seismology Phivolcs warned on Sunday. In this case, lava could spurt out of the mountain in fountains, descend in long streams, and be accompanied by pyroclastic flows, in which avalanches of hot gravel, ash, and gases rush down the slopes.
According to the national civil protection authority, 22 villages or 12,804 inhabitants around the Mayon were evacuated. The government of the affected province of Albay declared a state of emergency, which should speed up the release of aid funds.
Hot lava has been spewing from its summit since Thursday, Phivolcs said, generating hundreds of rockfalls and several pyroclastic flows since then. Known for its perfect cone shape, Mayon on the eastern part of the main island of Luzon is the most active volcano in the Southeast Asian island nation – which in turn is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the most geologically active zone on earth.
The 2462 meter high Feuerberg is also a popular excursion destination, but it rumbles regularly: In the past 400 years, the Mayon has erupted about 50 times. The last major eruption occurred in 2018. At that time, too, tens of thousands of people were fleeing.
