Thousands flee as Philippine volcano spews ash and steam
At least one person died in a road accident caused by zero-visibility from falling ash from Taal Volcano in Batangas province, 66 kilometres south of Manila.
The volcano began spewing ash and steam on Sunday. Since then, some 45,000 residents have evacuated high-risk areas, and officials estimated that at least 200,000 residents could be forced to flee if the eruption worsens.
"Weak sporadic lava fountaining" reportedly started at 2:49 am Monday (1849 GMT Sunday) and continued throughout the day, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.
Activity from Taal Volcano's main crater also "generated steam-laden plumes approximately 2 kilometres tall," Phivolcs said its latest bulletin.
"This is the kind of situation wherein although we have been preparing, it is not enough," said Batangas provincial governor Hermilando Mandanas.
"We are praying," he added.
Roads, houses, vehicles, trees and other infrastructure in affected towns were covered in ash that transformed into sludge following rainfall.
Residents covered in ash were seen rushing to get into trucks, mini-buses and other vehicles, while some were forced to walk to get to safer areas.
Most hotels, restaurants and other commercial establishments in the affected towns have been closed. Many tourists have evacuated, and some hotels that are still open have received cancellations.
"Rest assured that we're monitoring the situation and following government advisories," said Richard Gamlin, general manager of Taal Vista Hotel in Tagaytay City, a tourist destination overlooking Taal Volcano.
"We have a trained emergency response team, a 24-hour nurse and clinic, generators that can last for weeks," he added.
Phivolcs raised the alert at the Taal Volcano to level four, which signifies that "a hazardous explosive eruption is possible within hours or days."
The institute said it recorded at least 144 volcanic earthquakes from Taal Volcano since Sunday, with 44 of the tremors felt at various intensities.
"Such intense seismic activity probably signifies continuous magmatic intrusion beneath the Taal edifice, which may lead to further eruptive activity," Phivolcs said.
In nearby Laguna province, a man died when a truck he was driving overturned in zero-visibility conditions caused by the ash fall in Calamba City, 26 kilometres north-east of Taal Volcano, police said.
Three passengers - two men and a woman - were injured in the accident before dawn on Monday.
Manila's international airport resumed partial operations at noon on Monday, after closing overnight due to falling ash. A flight to Hong Kong was the first to take off from the airport after nearly 200 international and domestic flights were cancelled due to the temporary closure.
Airport authorities said they would be forced to suspend operations again if ashfall intensified.
Classes were suspended and government offices closed on Monday in metro Manila, Batangas and 11 other provinces affected by the eruption and ash fall. Some areas extended the suspension to Tuesday.
Maria Antonia Bornas, head of the volcano monitoring in Phivolcs, said it was not yet clear how long Taal Volcano will be erupting, noting that two significant past eruptions showed two different types of activity.
In 1911, the volcano's deadliest eruption lasted for three days, killing more than 1,300 people.
But in 1754, Taal Volcano erupted for seven months, with the activity waning and escalating from May to December.
Taal Volcano, the second most active volcano in the Philippines, has erupted 33 times since 1572, Phivolcs said. Its last eruption was in October 1977.
The Philippines is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, where 75 per cent of the world's volcanoes are located. In the Asian archipelago, there are 24 active volcanoes that have erupted within the last 600 years.
The country's most active volcano is Mayon Volcano in the eastern province of Albay, which is known for is perfect cone shape. It last erupted in January 2018, displacing more than 80,000 residents.
