Philippines lowers alert level for Taal volcano

Taal volcano spews ash and steam hundreds of metres into the sky on March 26. (AFP/VNA Photo)

Manila (VNA) - The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology on April 9 lowered the alert level for Taal volcano, 66km south of the capital region Manila, from 3 to 2.

Alert Level 2 on a scale of 0-5 means "that there is a decreased unrest but should not be interpreted that unrest has ceased or that the threat of an eruption has disappeared," the institute said.

It warned that "sudden steam-driven or phreatic explosions, volcanic earthquakes, ash fall and lethal accumulations or bursts of volcanic gas can occur."

On March 26, the institute raised the alert level to 3 for the volcano island in Batangas province following a phreatomagmatic eruption.

The institute said it has recorded 86 small-magnitude and imperceptible volcanic earthquakes. The government has evacuated over 7,000 people from 18 villages around the volcano.

Taal, one of the most active volcanoes in the Philippines, last erupted in January 2020. The eruption displaced nearly 380,000 villagers and destroyed many farms, houses and roads in the province./.