Manila (dpa) – A series of weak and short eruptions rocked the Philippines’ second-most active volcano on Wednesday, government scientists said, warning that stronger explosions could still occur.
More than 6,000 people have fled their homes in villages around Taal volcano in Batangas province, 66 kilometres south of Manila, since July 1, when an eruption first occurred.
Four phreatomagmatic eruptions, caused by magma and water interacting, occurred at Taal’s main crater on Wednesday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.
The bursts lasted between one minute and seven minutes and generated grayish plumes that rose 300 metres into the air, Phivolcs added.
Alert level three remains at Taal, which means that “magma extruding from the main crater could drive explosive eruption,” the institute said in its bulletin.
“There is still the possibility that stronger eruptions would occur and we need to be on alert for this,” Phivolcs director Renato Solidum said.
Solidum added that sulfur dioxide emission were still high at Taal, which could mean more eruptions could occur.
Taal last erupted in January 2020, displacing more than 376,000 people. Thirty-nine people died due to illness while in evacuation centres and accidents caused by thick ash fall, according to the provincial government.
Taal has erupted 33 times since 1572.
It is a popular tourist destination for its picturesque crater lake and has the distinction of being the only known volcano in the world within a lake on an island.
