Just around 1pm today, Mayon Volcano in Legazpi, Albay, erupted and shot up a huge column of ash with an estimated height of 2,460 meters.
This is the second eruption in over a week and happened as authorities are bracing for a possible “hazardous eruption.”
As of today, over 27,000 people have been evacuated around the volcano that is best known for its perfectly shaped cone.
According to ABS-CBN News, the alert level was raised to level 4, one notch below the highest warning.
The Philippine Volcanology and Seismology Institute (PHIVOLCS) said that a level 4 warning indicates that a hazardous eruption is “imminent” and the danger zone now extends to an 8-kilometer radius.
The governor of Albay, Al Francis Bichara, told CNN Philippines that zero visibility has been reported in some towns.
“The public is strongly advised to be vigilant and desist from entering this danger zone. Civil aviation authorities must also advise pilots to avoid flying close to the volcano’s summit as ash from eruptions can be hazardous to aircraft,” PHIVOLCS said in a bulletin.
Alert level 3 was raised over the volcano on Jan. 14.
Mayon draws thousands of tourists, even during minor eruptions. The mountain rises 2,460 meters above a largely agricultural region, some 330 kilometers southwest of Manila.
It is considered the nation’s most active volcano.
READ: Photos: Lava oozing from Mount Mayon
Steam-driven eruptions and rockfalls began earlier this month. The crater began glowing soon after in what PHIVOLCS said was a sign of the growth of a new lava dome.
with a report from ABS-CBN News
