Thousands flee as volcano erupts
By Alex Spillius, South East Asia Correspondent
SIXTEEN thousand people were evacuated as Mayon volcano in the eastern Philippines erupted yesterday, disgorging a six-mile-high cloud of hot ash and molten rocks the size of cars.
Keeping their distance: villagers watch ash cascading down the slopes of the erupting Mayon Volcano
Vulcanologists had been prepared for the eruption of the country's most active volcano, and there were no reported casualties. Villagers were moved to safety by military lorries, ambulances and private vehicles, while others fled on foot to tented evacuation camps, officials said.
Raymundo Punongbayan, director of the Philippine Institute of Vulcanology and Seismology, said the explosions could intensify. He added that the ash cloud contained rocks reaching temperatures of 1,400F, which rumbled down the slopes at 45mph. He said: "If you get caught in it, you will get mummified instantly."
Witnesses said the cauliflower-shaped plume darkened the skies over nearby towns, forcing drivers to turn on their headlights. Mayon, a tourist attraction for its near-perfect cone, has erupted at least 40 times since 1616, most recently on Feb 2,1993, when at least 78 people were killed.
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