Thousands evacuated, flights cancelled after 'small but dangerous' volcano spews ash near Manila

The Philippines was on alert on Monday (Jan 13) for the “explosive eruption” of a volcano south of Manila, which officials said could be imminent after a massive column of ash forced a halt to flights at the capital’s main airport.

Taal volcano, a popular tourist attraction set in the centre of a picturesque lake, spewed a massive cloud of ash that drifted across the Philippine capital on Sunday, forcing the cancellation of flights and closure of schools and government offices.

Thousands of people were evacuated from the area near Taal volcano after it suddenly shot a column of ash and steam as high as 15km into the sky.

Lightning crackled inside the smoke and tremors shook the ground.

“I’m afraid that it might erupt... but I’ll leave it to fate. I just have to pray,” Eduardo Carino, who works in a hotel near the volcano, told AFP.

Taal, one of the world’s smallest active volcanoes, sits in the middle of a lake about 70km south of the centre of the capital, Manila.

Authorities said there was a risk that an eruption could cause a tsunami in the lake.
A “hazardous explosive eruption is possible within hours to days”, the nation’s seismological agency warned

“Taal is a very small volcano, but a dangerous volcano,” Renato Solidum, head of The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), told Reuters.

“It is unique because it is a volcano within a volcano."

The institute raised the danger level posed by the volcano to 4 out of a possible 5 – meaning “hazardous explosive eruption is possible within hours to days.”

The Philippines lies on the “Ring of Fire,” a belt of volcanoes circling the Pacific Ocean that is also prone to earthquakes.

One of the most active volcanoes in the Philippines, Taal has erupted more than 30 times in the past five centuries, most recently in 1977. An eruption in 1911 killed 1,500 people and one in 1754 lasted for a few months.

“That is the worst case scenario,” Solidum said.

THOUSANDS EVACUATED

About 8,000 residents of the volcano island and other high-risk towns were being evacuated, with about 6,000 already out of the danger zone by Sunday evening, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council told reporters.

The volcano and its surroundings are a popular weekend getaway from Manila.

Taal Volcano, which is one of our main volcanoes, just erupted and all the ashfall is kinda stressing me out. PH Armys and all other Philippine residents please stay safe, esp those who live along Batangas!! #taal#TaalVolcanoEruption pic.twitter.com/hM8mRcXobQ

— Dr. Sunil Kumar Meena (@Drsunil0198) January 12, 2020

Majestic yet so scary 😨 Stay Safe everyone. Keep Praying 🙏💞#TaalVolcano pic.twitter.com/VhfaAAOUV3

— ❌ FRANCKEY 🎉🎊❌✈️ (@francdelasalas) January 12, 2020

The drifting ash forced the cancellation of 172 flights in and out of the international airport on Sunday.

General manager Ed Monreal said flights would also be suspended on Monday because there was ash on the runway.

President Rodrigo Duterte’s office ordered the suspension of government work in the capital and of all school classes in Manila and other areas affected by the ash.

A statement advised private companies to follow suit.

In Manila, long queues formed in shops selling face masks as health officials warned of possible breathing problems for people with respiratory ailments and urged the public to stay indoors and use dust masks when going out.

“When I went to my car to bring my groceries, I saw it was covered in ash. So I hurriedly went back inside to buy a mask from a drugstore but they had run out,” said Angel Bautista, 41, a resident of Paranaque city, south of the capital.

Taal’s ash plume was clearly visible from the city of Tagaytay, a well-frequented viewing spot for the volcano.

“We were having lunch when we heard rumbling. We saw the volcano erupting. It rained and some small pebbles fell to the ground,” Jon Patrick Yen, a restaurant customer in Tagaytay, told Reuters.
“I did not expect to see such spectacle. We just went by to eat.”