One of the Philippines’ most active volcanoes, Mount Mayon, unleashed a moderately explosive eruption Friday, propelling a dark column of ash thousands of meters into the sky over a six-minute period. In response, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) elevated the alert level from 2 to 3 on a 0-5 scale, signaling an increased tendency toward a hazardous eruption.
Authorities have ordered the evacuation of residents within a six-kilometer (3.7-mile) radius of the crater due to the threat of pyroclastic density currents (PDCs), lava flows, and rockfalls. The 3,000-meter ash column drifted southwest toward populated areas, prompting aviation advisories for aircraft to avoid the vicinity of the 2,462-meter peak, located approximately 330 kilometers southeast of Manila.
PHIVOLCS stated that Mayon has entered a new phase of magmatic eruption, with heightened probabilities of lava flows and dangerous PDCs affecting the upper to middle slopes in the coming days to weeks. While no immediate casualties or damage were reported, the situation remains dynamic.
Mayon is one of three Philippine volcanoes exhibiting heightened activity this year. In June 2023, over 12,000 residents from its lower slopes were relocated to evacuation centers to escape ashfall and toxic gases. The archipelago experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire.” The most devastating eruption in recent history remains the 1991 Mount Pinatubo event, which claimed over 800 lives and dispersed ash globally.
