Mayon volcano erupts in Philippines, forcing 34,000 people to flee

MANILA, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- More than 34,000 people from a danger zone around Mayon volcano have been evacuated due to the threat of hazardous eruption, Philippine authorities said on Wednesday.

Romina Marasigan, the spokesperson from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said at a press briefing that the evacuation figure due to the eruption of Mayon volcano was brought to 34,003 on Wednesday.

Marasigan said now the evacuees are staying in 30 evacuation centers provided by the local government.

"We want to be sure of their safety because intermittent rain showers are being experienced by the people in that region."

Mayon Volcano continues to ooze lava and shoot up plumes of hot ash, sending fear to affected residents but also a joy to tourists who started to flock Albay, a province on the island of Luzon about 330 km southeast of Manila, to witness the "silent eruptions."

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in its Wednesday bulletin that it had recorded 143 "lava collapse events" and a tremor in the past 24 hours.

The volcano's alert Level 3 remains in place, meaning there is a threat of the hazardous eruption in weeks or even days.

The province of Albay, where the Mayon volcano is located at, has been placed under a state of calamity amid the threat of the eruption.

Mayon volcano is on the southern tip of the Philippine main island of Luzon. It is a popular tourist destination in the Bicol region. It has erupted 51 times during the last 400 years. Enditem