Philippines on alert after Taal volcano eruption sends thick haze over capital

After a volcanic eruption that sent steam and rock fragments hundreds of metres into the sky in the Philippines south of Manilla, the nation’s seismological agency on Thursday called for the evacuation of thousands of people nearby the area.

For several days, Taal Volcano has been belching sulphur dioxide resulting in a thick haze over the capital and surrounding provinces and has prompted health warnings, AFP reported.

The volcano burst on Thursday afternoon with a “short-lived dark phreatomagmatic plume” that rose a kilometre into the air, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in a statement. The seismology agency warned for further eruptions and raised the alert level to two from one.

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It recommended the evacuation of the volcano island and “high-risk” areas of Agoncillo and Laurel towns, AFP reported.

Taal volcano had last erupted in January 2020, shooting ashes 15 kilometres, killing livestock, and sending over 135,000 people into shelters.

The head of the agency said that they raised the alert because “something is happening and it can lead to a higher activity,” AFP reported.

However, the agency said they “don’t expect the same scenario” as last year’s eruption, Mariton Bornas, head of the agency’s volcano monitoring division said.