PHILIPPINE news

July 20, 2006 Thursday

Mount Mayon crater fell down, alert for evacuation

more about mount mayon

Thursday in Legazpi ALbay, after a part of Mount Mayon volcano's crater has collapsed and alva flowed within the area, authorities evacuated residents from Santo Domingo.

The crater collapsed due to increased lava flowing from the summit towards Santo Domingo, this was according to the National Disaster Coordianting Council (NDCC).

NDCC chairman, Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz has instructed that people living near six kilometer danger zone shall be evacuated and will be remained off limits already.

If alert level reaches to level 4, all residents must evacuate. As of now, it is still in alert level 3. Lava flow already reached more than three kilometers from Mayon volcano. This was according to the The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS).


Thursday afternoon, a school which is two kilometers away from the danger zone, a witness said that a big ball of fire fell from the volcano. Students and teachers as well heard a loud explosion. Classes was immediately suspended then after that incident by the local government.

Loud explosion was caused by a secondary pyroclastic flow or the movement of the fragments due to the collapse of lava fragments according to Director Renato Solidum of PHIVOLCS.

He said to the residents not worry because the pyroclastic flow is not the direct result of the pressure or motions inside the volcano.