» 11/11/2009 10:42 PHILIPPINES Risk of eruption for Mayon Volcano A thick cloud of ash has risen from the volcano this morning covering the villages situated on the slopes. Approximately 22 thousand people will be evacuated in the coming hours.
Manila (AsiaNews / Agencies) - A thick cloud of ash and debris this morning shot out from Mount Mayon (central Philippines) one of the most active volcanoes in the world. Earthquakes and explosions accompanied the phenomenon that lasted over three minutes.
"The state of instability shown by the volcano could lead to further explosions – say experts from the Philippine Institute of Seismology and Vulcanology who doe not rule out an imminent eruption. Ash and rock fragments covered the streets and homes of nine villages on the slopes of the volcano, home to about 22 thousand people who will be evacuated to safety in the coming hours.
Mount Mayon, 2460 meters high, is one of the main attractions of the country. Since the beginning of the twentieth century it has erupted about 48 times. The most violent in 1814 wiped out the city of Cagsasawa, of which only the steeple of the church remains. The last eruption took place in 2006, when the avalanche of mud and ash buried entire villages and killed more than 1,000 people.
