Thousands flee a volcano in the Philippines fearing a possible violent eruption

Hot, ground-hugging flows of volcanic ash and debris began cascading down the slopes of Mayon Volcano, a 1.5 mile-high volcano—the most active one in the Philippines—in a peninsular region around 202 miles southeast of the Manila capital, last week. Volcanic activity increased in the following days, with Mayon spewing incandescent lava at night and causing tremors to neighboring villages. By Wednesday, June 14, some 17,000 people were evacuated, including those within its six-kilometer dangerous perimeter. National volcanologists have predicted that hazardous, eruptive activity could be imminent in weeks or days.

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Has Mayon erupted violently in the past?

Mayon, located in the Albay province, is a stratovolcano—steep volcanoes built up by eruptions of volcanic material over the course of thousands of years.

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What’s the current alert level for Mayon?

In a five-tier scale, Mayon’s activity as of Thursday was classified under Alert Level 3, which Bornas says indicates an effusive eruption from the crater.

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What are the potential effects of such an eruption?

Volcanic eruptions can lead to various health threats, such as the contamination of drinking water, wildfires, and the spread of infectious and respiratory diseases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “There is a concomitant health risk for being close to the eruption because of inhaling sulfur dioxide gas or the particulate matter from the ashfall,” said Philippine health secretary Teodoro Herbosa in a press briefing on June 11.