Mayon belches 1,600-meter ash column days after eruption

MANILA, November 4 ------ Mayon Volcano in Albay province fired another column of ash, just days after its eruption triggered evacuation of areas near the crater.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the volcano belched a 1,600-meter plume of ash at 8:22 a.m., which drifted southwest. PHIVOLCS noted that Alert Level 3 was still raised over Mayon, which meant that entry into the 6-kilometer danger zone around the volcano remained prohibited due to the danger of pyroclastic density currents, lava flows, rockfalls and other hazards.

On Friday, Mayon’s nearly 6-minute “moderately explosive eruption” sent a 3,000 meter column of ash skyward. The 2,462-meter Mayon, rising in a near-perfect cone about 330 kilometres southeast of Manila, is one of three Philippine volcanoes that have shown elevated levels of activity this year, though no major eruptions occurred.

In June 2023, some 12,000 people living on its lower slopes were moved to evacuation centers to protect them from ash and toxic gases spewing from its crater. Earthquakes and volcanic activity are common in the Philippines due to its position on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where tectonic plates collide.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com