Philippines Evacuates Residents Near Mayon Volcano Amid Possible Eruption

Philippine troops, police, and rescue workers have started to evacuate residents near Mayon Volcano as its increasing unrest indicated a violent eruption within weeks or days. The area within a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) radius is supposed to be off-limits due to possible volcanic emissions, lava flows, rockfalls, and other hazards. However, many poor villagers have built houses and tended farms in Mayon's danger zone over the years, making evacuation challenging. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that an evacuation of residents from the permanent danger zone was underway and promised to provide aid to the displaced until the crisis ended.

Mayon is one of the most active volcanoes in the country, and a tourist attraction for its picturesque conical shape. It last erupted violently in 2018, displacing tens of thousands of villagers. The government volcano experts raised the alert level around Mayon to the third of a five-step warning system on Thursday, after detecting an increasing number of rockfalls and at least two volcanic earthquakes in recent days. On Friday, conditions advanced a little bit more but lava hasn't started to flow yet.

Mayon is at “a relatively high level of unrest as magma is at the crater and hazardous eruption is possible within weeks or even days,” according to the government volcanology institute. The institute also said that Mayon is one of the most restive of two dozen active volcanoes across the Philippines. Furthermore, officials are closely monitoring Taal Volcano south of Manila and Mount Kanlaon on central Negros Island due to renewed signs of restiveness.

The Philippines lies along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," where tectonic plates meet, making it prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. A long-dormant volcano, Mount Pinatubo, blew its top north of Manila in 1991 in one of the biggest volcanic eruptions of the 20th century, killing hundreds of people. Authorities urge residents to be vigilant and take all necessary precautions to remain safe.