Philippines' Taal Volcano Erupts, Sends Thousands to Flee

Taal volcano's recent eruption and ensuing earthquakes in the Philippines have caused thousands of people. The concern was reinforced by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology last Monday, "Such intense seismic activity probably signifies continuous magma intrusions beneath the Taal edifice, which may lead to further eruptive activity."

A lock-down is being implemented by police in three towns in the Philippines near the Taal volcano, 40 miles (65 kilometers) south of capital Manila, to prevent residents from returning home as heavy ashfall and tremors continue in the area.

More than 38,000 persons are currently staying in evacuation centers due to the natural disaster.

The dusty ash has already reached the capital, Manila, more than 40 miles north of the eruption, with the plume being more than 9 miles tall and triggering lightning.

PHIVOLCS said the eruption triggered 144 earthquakes in the region and continues to pose risks to people on the ground and in the air.

Taal volcano is one of the region's most active volcanos, that fired debris and steam miles in the air Sunday.

According to the Associated Press, there have been no reported fatalities. The evacuation is mandatory.

Irene de Claro, a mother of four, worried about her missing father, who stayed in their village in Agoncillo town in Batangas while the rest of the family fled in panic.

"People are panicking due to the eruption because they want to save their livelihood, their pigs and herds of cows," said Wilson Maralit, mayor of Balete town.

Five hundred flights were grounded in the country's main airport.

Meanwhile, some residents could not move out of ash-blanketed villages due to a lack of transport and poor visibility, while others are refusing to leave their homes and farms. Ten percent of the population is estimated to be still in the town.

One town's officials had to abandon evacuation centers and rework their plans after its location was deemed too risky.

Officials have warned that the volcano, which sits on an island in a lake, is foreseeable to reach a hazardous "Level 5" incident - involving an ongoing magma eruption - within hours or days.

The mayor of Taal, a town of about 60,000 people nine miles southwest of the volcano, said their streets are covered in ash.

According to Fulgencio Mercado, tens of thousands of residents have left by car, public transport or in vans and trucks arranged by the municipal government.

Officials expect the number of evacuees to swell with hundreds of thousands more being brought to safety.

Local authorities are helping to displace people before notifying the national agency that is collating the figures.

According to the Agriculture Department, farm damage from the eruption, including rice, corn, coffee, cacao, and bananas, has amounted to 577.59 million pesos ($11.4 million). Mass fish deaths are foreseen in the lake surrounding the volcano because of toxic sulfur levels.

PHIVOLCS advised the population to guard against the effects of heavy and prolonged ashfall. They said aircraft must be advised to avoid airspace around Taal volcano as airborne ash and ballistic fragments from the eruption column pose hazards to aircraft.

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