The Taal volcano, located in a lake south of Manila, erupted on Saturday March 26 at 7:22 a.m., forcing thousands of people to evacuate their homes. This volcano has indeed sent ash and steam hundreds of meters into the sky.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has warned that more eruptions are possible, which could trigger dangerous and rapid volcanic flows of gas, ash and debris, as well as a tsunami.
Residents of five villages have been ordered to leave their homes, regional civil defense spokesman Kelvin John Reyes told AFP. This is the third evacuation in three years.
The seismological agency “strongly” recommended the evacuation of residents living in vulnerable communities around the lake, and raised the alert level from two to three. Because the initial eruption was followed by “almost continuous phreatomagmatic activity” which sent plumes extending 1,500 meters into the air.
PLACED ON THE RING OF FIRE
A phreatomagmatic eruption occurs when molten rock comes into contact with ground or surface water, said Princess Cosalan, a scientist with the agency, likening it to pouring “water on a hot pan” .
Police have been deployed to prevent people from entering high-risk areas, and authorities have warned airlines of the potential dangers of volcanic ash in the atmosphere.
Taal is one of the country’s most active volcanoes, located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an area of intense seismic activity.
Access to the volcanic island, which was once home to several thousand people, has been banned since January 2020, when an eruption tossed ash 15 kilometers away and spewed glowing lava onto dozens of homes, killing livestock and displacing tens of thousands of people.