Hanoi (VNA) - Authorities in the Philippines havestarted evacuating thousands of people after the alert status was raised onJuly 1 for a restive volcano that spewed a kilometre-high plume of gas andsteam.
At least 3,500 families composed of 14,495 individualshave been evacuated in the province of Batangas province following threeeruptions, according to Batangas Governor Hermilando Mandanas.
The alert for the Taal volcano, approximately 70km southof central Manila, moved from level 2 to level 3 on the 5-level scale, whichthe seismology and volcanology agency said meant a “magmatic intrusion” at themain crater “could further drive succeeding eruptions”.
Taal is one of the world’s smallest active volcanoes.Despite standing at only 311 metres, it can be deadly and an eruption in 1911killed more than 1,300 people.
In January last year, Taal shot a column of ash andsteam as high as 15km into the sky, which forced more than 100,000 people toabandon their homes, causing widespread flight cancellations and heavy ashfalls in Manila./.
