Mayon Volcano In Philippines Alert Turns Red; Evacuation Ordered
Philippine's most active volcano, Mayon, is said to have a dangerous eruption because the authorities last Sep. 16, have asked the people living near it to evacuate immediately.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Siesmology have raised the alert of the volcano to a 'red' to the highest that it can go. This alert came in after fifteen hours of unrest with thirty-two low frequency earthquakes.
Bernardo Alejandro, the regional civil defence director said that all those living within an 8 kilometre radius of the volcano were made to evacuate forcibly. Almost fifty thousand people were expected to having evacuated from the danger zone within a span of three days, reported The Guardian.
The danger zone is an area of coconut farming near the Pacific region because of which a few people were refusing to move out. Alejandro said that they had no problems with evacuating 99 percent of the people, but some of them were a little hard headed. He added that the coconut and orchid farmers did not want to leave behind their houses and livelihood.
Authorities have said that the Mayon volcano's magma had started to rise on top with small earthquakes also on the verge of breaking out.
In a text message to AFP, Renato Solidum, the director of the state volcanology agency said that a hazardous eruption of the Mayon volcano, a volcano that is quite famous for its almost perfect cone is possible within the next few weeks.
The latest eruption of the Mayon volcano could result in a mini-boom, suggest the local tourist industry, as many visitors wanted to see the famous cone of the Mayon.
Marti Calleja, an owner of all-terrain vehicle tours, said that the eruption of the volcano will be a boost for local tourism as people were up all night watching it, almost like a party. He added that the eruption looks like a fireworks show and is picture perfect. Usually his clients would request to see the lighted up crater at night, when it had become active in the past.
Some of the visitors prefer playing safe and like watching the flowing lava from the safety of their hotels in Legazpi, the capital of Albay.