People living near the Taal volcano have 24 hours to evacuate the area, the Philippine authorities announced on Wednesday. If they refuse, they should not expect help in the occurrence of an eruption, they added.
Hundreds of volcanic earthquakes have been recorded since the volcano erupted on January 12, indicating a continuous magmatic intrusion under the Taal building, which could lead to more activity. This means that dangerous explosive eruptions are possible soon.
Since then, 235,000 residents of Batangas province have fled the region. Several thousand have since returned home. The police are now asking everyone to evacuate for Thursday morning.
The Taal volcano, sixty kilometers south of Manila, is the second most active in the Philippine archipelago. It has erupted 33 times since 1572. The last however dates back to October 1977.
