Philippine authorities have evacuated nearly 3,000 residents from communities near Mayon Volcano after renewed volcanic activity prompted officials to raise the alert level, signalling a heightened risk of further eruptions.
The alert was lifted to Level 3 on a five-step scale after monitoring teams detected repeated rockfalls from the crater and slow lava accumulation near the summit. Some falling debris was reported to be as large as vehicles.
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Emergency crews, backed by police and military units, moved more than 2,800 people from homes within a long-established six-kilometre danger zone around the volcano. Hundreds more residents living just outside the restricted area left voluntarily.
Volcanologists described the current activity as a "quiet eruption," cautioning that it remains unclear whether conditions will escalate into a more violent phase. Key warning signs such as intense volcanic earthquakes and high gas emissions have not yet reached critical levels.
Mayon, famed for its near-perfect cone, is also the country's most active volcano and has erupted dozens of times over the centuries. Despite repeated disasters, thousands continue to live and work on its slopes, a reflection of the broader challenges faced by communities across the Philippines, a nation frequently exposed to volcanoes, earthquakes, typhoons and floods.