Philippines on alert: Volcano spews ash, prompting evacuations and airport closure
Tremors were felt on the volcano’s island and in villages around the nearby town of Agoncillo in Batangas Province, and booming noises from the volcano raised fears among residents.
New Delhi: The Philippines raised the alert level for the Taal Volcano after it spewed a multi-kilometer high column of smoke and ash, prompting officials to close a Manila’s international airport and call for the evacuation of some 8,000 residents.
The explosion, which sent a plume of ash half a mile into the air, came months after the volcano — Taal, about 40 miles south of Manila — began exhibiting a state of unrest. Tremors were felt on the volcano’s island and in villages around the nearby town of Agoncillo in Batangas Province, and booming noises from the volcano raised fears among residents.
Warnings of ‘Volcanic Tsunami’ After Eruption in the #Philippines
Hundreds were evacuated and tremors were felt in nearby villages amid an eruption of the country’s second-most-active volcano, the Taal, about 40 miles from Manila. pic.twitter.com/kRark45zvI
— Newsroom Post (@NewsroomPostCom) January 12, 2020
About 8,000 residents in communities near the volcano required immediate evacuation, according to Reuters. A PHIVOLCS “Level 4” alert indicates a danger zone of 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) or more around the active crater. Manila, the capital, is some 40 miles from the eruption. Flights were suspended to the Philippines’ main international airport, Ninoy Aquino International Airport, by the Manila International Airport Authority.
