The Philippines’ most active volcano spewed fountains of red-hot lava and massive ash plumes anew on Tuesday in a dazzling but increasingly dangerous eruption that has sent more than 56,000 villagers fleeing to evacuation centres.
lava fountains gushed up 700 metres above Mount Mayon’s crater and ash plumes rose up to 3 kilometers last night.
At least three major blasts followed, today including an explosion at nightfall that was capped by one of the most massive lava displays since the volcano started acting up more than a week ago, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.
“We couldn't sleep last night because of the loud rumblings. It sounded like an airplane that's about to land,” Quintin Velardo, a 59-year-old farmer, told The Associated Press at an evacuation center in legazpi city where he took his wife, children and grandchildren today.
Despite the danger, he said he needed to return to his village, about 8 kilometres from the erupting volcano, to take his cow and water buffalo to safety. A few minutes later, the volcano belched a massive column of grayish ash that punched through white clouds into the blue sky.