In the Philippines, even more people may be evacuated because of the imminent eruption of the Mayon volcano. On Friday, 10,000 residents were already urged to leave their homes.
Still, the radius may be extended to more than 14,000 people on Monday, says the director of the Philippine seismological institute Philvolcs.
The Mayon volcano is located in the eastern province of Albay and has spewed ash and debris for several days. Lava has also been coming out of the crater since Thursday. According to Philvolcs, all this points to an imminent eruption, which could be violent. The volcano is on alert level 3, meaning magma is present in the crater and a dangerous eruption could occur within weeks or even days.
The authorities ordered 2,400 families to leave the danger zone on Friday. It involved about 10,000 people. The perimeter may now have to be expanded so that 14,300 people would be evacuated. If the volcano goes to alert level 4, 40,000 residents must leave the area.
Mayon has erupted about 50 times since 1616. The last time that happened was in 2018. Even then, tens of thousands of people had to be evacuated. The volcano is known for its perfect cone shape.