Manila airport suspends flights, thousands evacuate as Taal Volcano in Philippines spews ash
- Taal Volcano in Batangas province, 66km south of Manila, is a popular tourist attraction and the only volcano in the world within a lake on an island
- Manila airport has temporarily suspended operations, affecting dozens of international and local flights
A huge cloud of white and grey ash was seen billowing out of the main crater of Taal Volcano in Batangas province, 66km south of Manila, indicating it could lead to a hazardous eruption, while residents reported ash falls and showers of small stones.
The Philippine airport authority said early on Sunday evening it had suspended international and domestic flights at Manila’s international airport, affecting multiple airlines including Cathay Pacific.
“Flight operations at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport have been temporarily suspended due to the volcanic ash from the eruption of Taal Volcano,” the Manila International Airport Authority tweeted. Passengers were advised to coordinate with their respective airlines for details on flight schedules.
According to Hong Kong Airport Authority and FlightRadar24, one Cathay Pacific flight is delayed at Manila airport, one turned around mid-flight and returned to Hong Kong, and one did not depart.
A Qatar Airways and Etihad aircraft bound for Manila diverted to Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, Manila’s mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso conducted an emergency directional meeting from Hong Kong International Airport, where he is currently stuck.
Around 6,000 people have been evacuated from municipalities around the volcano, while dozens of tourists were also turned back.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or tourists being stranded in affected villages. Heavy ashfall prompted authorities to advise residents to wear masks.
Government seismologists recorded magma moving towards the crater, which increases the chances of an eruption “within days to within weeks” if such activity continues.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) raised the alert level in Taal to three, which means “there is magmatic intrusion that is likely driving the current activity”. Level five, the highest, indicates an ongoing eruption.
It said there was increased steaming activity accompanied by earthquakes, some of which felt with rumbling sounds, and a slight inflation of the volcano edifice.
“The public is reminded that the main crater should be strictly off-limits because sudden steam explosions can occur and high concentrations of lethal volcanic gases can be released,” it added.
The institute asked nearby coastal communities “to take precautionary measures and be vigilant of possible lake water disturbances related to the ongoing unrest”.
“We have asked people in high-risk areas, including the volcano island, to evacuate now ahead of a possible hazardous eruption,” said Renato Solidum, head of Phivolcs.
Renelyn Bautista, a 38-year-old housewife from Batangas province’s Laurel town, said she immediately fled from her home with her two children, including a 4-month-old baby, after the ground shook mildly twice.
“We hurriedly evacuated when the air turned muddy because of the ashfall and it started to smell like gunpowder,” Bautista said.
Officials suspended classes on Monday in Batangas and nearby Cavite province to avoid health problems from the ashfall. Power outages were reported in Batangas.
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Taal Volcano is a popular tourist destination as a result of its picturesque crater lake. Hotels, shopping malls and restaurants line an upland road along a ridge overlooking the lake and the volcano.
Taal also has the distinction of being the only volcano in the world within a lake on an island.
It has erupted 33 times since 1572, Phivolcs said. Its last major eruption was in October 1977, while the deadliest eruption was in 1911, killing more than 1,300 people and causing ashfall as far as Manila.
Taal is one of the world’s smallest volcanoes, and is the second most active volcano in the Philippines, which has about two dozen active volcanoes and lies on the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire”, a seismically active region that is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
In January 2018, Mount Mayon displaced tens of thousands of people after spewing millions of tonnes of ash, rocks, and lava in the central Bicol region.
Reporting by DPA, Reuters, Agence France-Presse and Associated Press
