Why are Major volcanic eruption feared in Philippines (AP) ?”
LEGAZPI, Philippines — The Philippines’ most active volcano could have a huge eruption within days, officials warned Sunday after detecting a drastic surge in earthquakes and eerie rumbling sounds in surrounding foothills. Tens of thousands of villagers have been evacuated as a precaution. Scientists raised the alert level for the Mayon volcano after 453 volcanic earthquakes were detected in a five-hour span Sunday, compared to just over 200 Saturday, said Renato Solidum, chief of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. The five-step warning system was raised to level four, meaning a hazardous eruption “is possible within days.” Level five is when a major eruption has begun. Army troops and police will intensify patrols to enforce a round-the-clock ban on villagers moving within a five-mile (eight-kilometer) danger zone around the 8,070-foot (2,460-meter) mountain, said Gov. Joey Salceda of Albay province, about 210 miles (340 kilometers) southeast of Manila. More than
LEGAZPI, Philippines (AP) — Authorities in the Philippines are warning that the country’s most active volcano could erupt within days. Scientists raised the alert level after detecting a drastic surge in earthquakes and eerie rumbling sounds in the foothills surrounding the Mayon volcano. The chief of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology says 453 volcanic earthquakes were detected in a five-hour span today, compared to a little more than 200 yesterday. Tens of thousands of villagers have been evacuated as a precaution. Army troops and police are stepping up patrols to enforce a round-the-clock ban on villagers in a five-mile danger zone around the 8,070-foot mountain. The volcano has already belched a plume of grayish ash half a mile into the sky, and red-hot lava has flowed about nearly 3 miles down the mountainside. The Philippines lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where volcanic activity and earthquakes are common. The Philippines has 22 active volcanoes.
