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Authorities said the Philippines’ most active volcano began spewing lava and sulfuric gas on Sunday, forcing the evacuation of nearly 13,000 residents in the country’s main island’s southeast.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has advised that everyone within a 6-kilometre (3.7-mile) radius or "danger zone" of Mount Mayon be evacuated due to the risk of rockfalls, landslides, and ballistic fragments.
Since the volcano's alert level was raised to 3 out of a possible five on Thursday, 88% of residents living in the danger zone have been evacuated, with efforts to relocate the remaining residents continuing, according to the Philippine Provincial Information Office.
Mayon, located on the island of Luzon about 330 kilometres (205 miles) southeast of Manila, is one of the world’s most active volcanoes.
Families in Albay province were seen carrying children and belongings, boarding trucks and military vehicles, and seeking refuge at evacuation centres in local schools.
According to Phivolcs, the Mayon Volcano Network recorded 21 weak volcanic earthquakes, 260 rockfalls, and lava flow activity from the crater in the last 24 hours.
The agency also detected three pyroclastic density currents: hot, fast-moving flows of ash, hot gases, and debris that rush down volcanic slopes. It issued a warning about possible ashfall on the volcano's south side.
Photos taken at night showed glowing rivers of molten lava spewing from the volcano’s summit and cascading down its sides.
Authorities in the Philippines also evacuated 10,000 farm animals, including cows, goats, and pigs, to feeding camps and shelters outside the danger zone.
Mount Mayon last erupted violently in 2018, displacing thousands of villagers and blanketing nearby towns in thick ash layers.
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