MANILA: The Phili­ppines raised the alert at its restive Mayon volcano by one notch early on Sunday, citing signs of rising magma that could lead to hazardous eruptions.

Residents were evacuated from two villages near the volcano, a tourist attraction in central Albay province because of its near-perfect cone shape, following a “phreatic or steam-driven eruption” on Saturday.

The explosion unleashed ash, rocks and sulfuric odour, and was followed by rumbling sounds and a faint glow in the crater, the Phil­ippine Institute of Volc­anol­ogy and Seismology (Phivo­lcs) said in its latest bulletin.

Phivolcs raised the alert to level 2, which means that the current activity is “probably of magmatic origin, which could lead to more phreatic eruptions or eventually to hazardous magmatic eruptions.”

Mayon’s most destructive eruption was in February 1841, when lava flows buried a town and killed 1,200 people. It last erupted in 2014, spewing lava and forcing thousands of people to evacuate.

“The public is strongly adv­ised to be vigilant and de­s­ist from entering the six kilometre radius Permanent Danger Zone to minimise risks from sudden explosions, rockfall and landslides,” Phivolcs said.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2018