Philippines Mount Mayon sprayed volcanic ash

Philippines Mount Mayon sprayed volcanic ash. In Legaspi Philippines, Tuesday, over a wide terrain Mount Mayon sprayed volcanic ash, raising new health fears for thousands already braced for an eruption that Philippine scientists say could come any day.

The nation's most active volcano rumbled and emitted clouds of choking soot that left a layer of ash on villages near Mayon, about 330 kilometres (200 miles) southeast of Manila, officials and witnesses said.

The fine particles are being produced as fragments of rock collapse in the volcano's lava flows, chief government volcanologist Renato Solidum said.

"It's not very thick, just a few millimetres of ash, but that is the most dangerous part because it is very fine ash," he said in a television interview.

Health officials warned the tiny particles could cause respiratory problems or skin diseases, and could affect the thousands of people crammed into evacuation centres beyond the eight-kilometre danger zone.

Witnesses reported ashfall a considerable distance from the restive volcano and civil defence officials said it was hard to predict where the ash would settle because of shifting winds.

Fine white powder drifted across Guinobatan village, some 14 kilometres from Mayon.

Vehicles driving along the village's roads kicked up clouds of volcanic dust as residents, some wearing face masks, complained of stinging eyes and said they could feel the particles irritating their skin.

The government's chief epidemiologist Eric Tayag said residents should stay indoors and keep windows closed if necessary to avoid exposure to the ash.

He said anyone who had to venture outside should wear long-sleeved clothes and cover their nose and mouth with a damp cloth.

Volcanic ash has proved deadly in the past. During Mayon's last eruption in 2006, the volcano oozed lava and vented steam and ash for two months.

No one was killed by the eruption itself, but three months later, a powerful typhoon dislodged tons of volcanic ash and debris that had collected on Mayon's slopes. The fast-moving avalanche of mud and boulders crushed entire villages, leaving more than 1,000 people dead.

Mayon, which has been spewing lava and ash for a week, remains at alert level four, meaning it could violently erupt any day.

The elevated risk has prompted authorities to evacuate more than 9,440 families at least 45,336 people -- from the danger zone.

Provincial governor Joey Salceda said there were only about 500 people still in the zone.

"We are doing all sorts of contortions just to bring them in," he told AFP, while adding he was reluctant to resort to force.

Salceda said "definitely (evacuated villagers) will spend Christmas and even New Year's Day in evacuation centres".

Government medical teams have been sent to the centres to guard against any outbreaks of infectious diseases or illnesses spawned by ashfall, Salceda said.

He expressed concern that bored evacuees may try to sneak out and return home so they can celebrate Christmas in familiar surroundings.

To avert this, various agencies are carrying out activities in the evacuation centres such as concerts, painting lessons and children's parties, the governor said.

The 2,460-metre (8,070-foot) volcano, which is famed for its near-perfect cone, has erupted 48 times in recorded history. In 1814, more than 1,200 people were killed as lava buried the town of Cagsawa.

Philippines Mount Mayon volcano on danger zone

Philippines Mount Mayon volcano on danger zone. On Monday began to evacuate after officials threatened to force them out, more than 3,000 villagers remaining in a no-go zone around the Philippines' rumbling Mayon volcano .

Scientists warned that powerful booms emanating from the Southeast Asian country's most active volcano, located about 330 kilometres (200 miles) southeast of Manila, indicated that a major eruption was imminent.

In Guinobatan village, lying on a dirt road in the foothills of Mayon, district officials and police went house to house, urging residents to board a truck and take shelter outside the danger zone, an AFP photographer saw.

Nearly all the villagers calmly boarded the hired truck, carrying their personal belongings in sacks and heading to evacuation centres set up by authorities outside an eight-kilometre radius zone.

But some of the menfolk refused to budge and were left alone to fend for themselves.

"There are still one or two men who don't want to go but their families have come down to the evacuation centres," village councillor Mulad Bucad told AFP.

"There are always a few who don't want to go. They say they are used to eruptions and they never get hurt anyway," he said.

The eerie glow of crimson lava could be seen oozing from the volcano overnight, and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said seismic activity had "increased in number and size".

It said a total of 1,942 volcanic quakes were detected since Sunday, while sulphur dioxide emissions were "very high".

Albay provincial Governor Joey Salceda earlier Monday said authorities "will physically remove" those refusing to leave the danger zone after volcanologists raised the alert level to four on a five-point scale.

Level four means that an "explosive eruption is possible within hours or days", according to the institute.

There were still 729 families or more than 3,000 people staying put on the edges of the eight-kilometre danger zone that has been declared around Mayon, local disaster preparations chief Cedric Daep told AFP earlier.

Just over 9,200 families or nearly 44,400 people had already taken shelter in the evacuation centres since Mayon started belching ash, steam and lava last week.

If the alert level is raised to five, meaning that an eruption is in progress, another 16,000 villagers living beyond the danger zone would also have to be evacuated as a precautionary measure, Salceda said.

Scientists underlined the growing threat of ash and lava cascading down Mayon's slopes owing to the increasing frequency of booms from inside the volcano, audible as far as 12 kilometres away.

"We cannot say exactly when the hazardous eruption is likely to occur," chief government volcanologist Renato Solidum said in a television interview.

But he stressed: "The important thing is the distance from the volcano. That is why it is important that people not be inside the danger zone."

Mayon oozed lava and vented steam for two months when it last erupted in 2006. No one was killed by the eruption itself.

But three months later, a powerful typhoon dislodged tons of volcanic debris that had collected on Mayon's slopes. The avalanche of mud and boulders crushed entire villages, leaving more than 1,000 people dead.

The 2,460 metre (8,070 foot) volcano, which is famed for its near-perfect cone, has erupted 48 times in recorded history. In 1814, more than 1,200 people were killed as lava buried the town of Cagsawa.

Mayon Volcano in Albay, continued to intensify, alert level at 3

Mayon Volcano in Albay, continued to intensify, alert level at 3. Mayon Volcano in Albay province at abnormal activity, continued to intensify Saturday, but state volcanologists kept the alert level there at 3 for the moment.

Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) director Renato Solidum Jr. said Mayon now spews lava to as far as 4 km downslope from the crater.

Less explosions were recorded in the last 24 hours, although these were more powerful, sending ash up to 2 km high, Solidum said in an interview with dzRH radio.

“Humina nang bahagya pero sustained ang pagka-abnormal (The explosions slightly weakened but the level of abnormal activity is sustained)," he added.

On Friday, Phivolcs had recorded 248 volcanic quakes and tremors that produced dark gray to dark brown ash columns that reached up to 1 km above the summit before drifting southwest.

The advancing lava flow as of Friday reached about 3 km downslope from the crater, while incandescent fragments from the lava pile rolled down along Bonga Gully reaching about 3-4 km downslope.

Solidum said it is “possible" an eruption by Mayon will be worse than the ejection of lava from the volcano in 2006.

But he said the provincial government of Albay has so far responded well with its forced evacuation of residents in the danger zone, as part of its “zero casualty" policy.

He also said Phivolcs is now guarding its instruments at strategic areas near the volcano, to prevent thieves from taking equipment and disrupting their observation activities.

“Sa ngayon, malakas ang transmission ng radyo sa gilid ng bulkan (For now, radio transmissions around the volcano remain strong)," he said.

Evacuee count nears 40,000

The number of evacuees from danger areas in Mayon neared 40,000 as of Saturday as local authorities continued implementing forced evacuations.

Radio dzRH reported that as of Friday night, some 8,264 families or 39,320 people from 30 villages within the danger zone around the volcano have been moved into 24 evacuation centers.

Mayon’s danger zone extends up to eight kilometers from the volcano.

Albay Governor Jose Salceda ordered the sustained rationing of five kilos of rice daily to each family.

Salceda also ordered local authorities to start packing up to 10,000 Noche Buena packs for families spending their Christmas in the evacuation centers, the report said.

Source: PNC, GMANewsTV