Thousands flee after Philippine volcano belches white plume of steam and ash 1.5km into the sky

Initial eruption followed by ‘nearly continuous phreatomagmatic activity’

Taal volcano after an eruption sent ash and steam hundreds of metres into the sky (Philippine Volcanology and Seism)

Thousands of people were ordered to evacuate from their homes after a small volcano blew a white plum of steam and ash 1.5km into the sky in a powerful explosion.

Taal volcano, which sits in a lake south of Manila in Batangas province, exploded briefly on Saturday morning after magma came into contact with water in the main crater, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.

It was a high-intensity steam-driven blast followed by smaller emissions and accompanied by volcanic earthquakes, the institute said.

The initial eruption was followed by “nearly continuous phreatomagmatic activity” that sent plumes stretching 1,500 metres into the air, it said.

Authorities raised the alert level to third in a five-step warning system, meaning “there is magmatic intrusion at the main crater that may further drive succeeding eruptions.” Alert level 5 means a life-threatening eruption that could destroy communities is underway.

Residents of nearby villages in the 7km danger zone from the crater, Batangas towns of Agoncillo and Laurel, were evacuated after warning of possible hazards, including fast-moving gas and molten materials and “volcanic tsunami” in Taal lake.

More than 12,00 people live in the area and were moved to emergency shelters by the disaster response team.

“It was a powerful burst but now the volcano has calmed down,” Laurel Mayor Joan Amo told The Associated Press by telephone, adding that up to 8,000 residents in high-risk villages in her town would need to be moved to safety if the volcanic unrest continues.

A video showed a white column of steam and ash billowing from the low-slung volcano into the blue sky. A villager witnessing the explosion can be heard in the background saying, “The volcano is exploding again, one blast after another, due to the intense heat.”

Renato Solidum of the government’s volcanology institute said it remains to be seen if Taal would suddenly grow more restive or eventually settle down.“If we see that there is no escalation or the trend is downward” after two weeks of close monitoring, the institute may decide to lower the alert level, Solidum told The AP.

As a precaution, authorities temporarily banned all activities, including fishing, in the lake surrounding the volcano and asked nearby communities to brace for possible ashfalls. Aircraft were warned to stay away from the volcano due to the danger of possible “ash and ballistic fragments from sudden explosions” and other super-hot volcanic emissions.

Taal, a 1,020-foot tall volcano, is one of the smallest volcanoes in the world. It previously erupted in January 2020, displacing hundreds of thousands of people.

The Philippines lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a region prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Additional reporting by agencies