[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Fwd: Volcano Erupts in Philippines

And you thought living near a nuclear power plant was bad!

In a message dated 24-Feb-2000 4:41:32 AM Eastern Standard Time, AOL News 
writes:

> Volcano Erupts in Philippines
>  
>  .c The Associated Press
>  
>   By BULLIT MARQUEZ
>  
>  LEGAZPI, Philippines (AP) - The Mayon volcano spewed a column of 
superheated 
> ash into the air and streams of lava and debris down its slopes in an 
> eruption today that sent thousands of nearby villagers fleeing.
>  
>  Villagers, many jarred from sleep by the first rumblings before the 
pre-dawn 
> eruption, boarded army trucks to evacuate. Evacuees crammed into school 
> classrooms and some took refuge under trees in the schoolyard.
>  
>  Officials warned that a more violent explosion could occur at any time. 
The 
> eruption began with lava gushing out of the crater, accompanied by loud 
> rumblings. Bright orange lava flowed part way down Mayon's slope and ash 
> rained over several villages.
>  
>  The area is most vulnerable to lava, falling rocks and deadly pyroclastic 
> flows - superheated clouds of volcanic ash that travel up to 50 miles per 
> hour and can instantly incinerate anything in their path.
>  
>  Raymundo Punongbayan, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology 
> and Seismology, urged residents of villages up to 5 miles away along the 
> mountain's southeastern side to evacuate.
>  
>  The institute said the ash column above the mountain reached about 4.5 
miles 
> high after one explosion and a pyroclastic flow rolled 3.5 miles down a 
deep 
> gully on the southeastern slope. No injuries were reported.
>  
>  Authorities canceled all flights to Legazpi, the airport closest to the 
> volcano, located about 215 miles southeast of Manila in Albay province.
>  
>  Judel Mirandilla, a 14-year-old student from the village of Bonga in the 
> path of possible pyroclastic and lava flows, said he was roused from his 
> sleep shortly after 1 a.m. by thunder-like explosions and flashes of light 
> from the mountain.
>  
>  ``We became so scared we decided to leave. Other people were waking up our 
> neighbors to evacuate,'' he said.
>  
>  For about a week, the 8,118-foot mountain, famous for its cone-like shape, 
> has been emitting ash plumes and occasional flows of lava. The crater's 
lava 
> dome has swelled, releasing molten rocks the size of a room down its slopes.
>  
>  The volcano has been showing signs of unrest since last June, spewing ash-
> laden smoke high in the sky several times last year. An explosion in 
> September forced more than 5,700 people to flee their homes.
>  
>  Mayon's most violent eruption on Feb. 1, 1814, killed more than 1,200 
people 
> and buried an entire town in volcanic mud flows. Its last eruption in 
> February 1993 killed more than 70 villagers.
>  
>  AP-NY-02-24-00 0441EST



Volcano Erupts in Philippines

.c The Associated Press

 By BULLIT MARQUEZ

LEGAZPI, Philippines (AP) - The Mayon volcano spewed a column of superheated ash into the air and streams of lava and debris down its slopes in an eruption today that sent thousands of nearby villagers fleeing.

Villagers, many jarred from sleep by the first rumblings before the pre-dawn eruption, boarded army trucks to evacuate. Evacuees crammed into school classrooms and some took refuge under trees in the schoolyard.

Officials warned that a more violent explosion could occur at any time. The eruption began with lava gushing out of the crater, accompanied by loud rumblings. Bright orange lava flowed part way down Mayon's slope and ash rained over several villages.

The area is most vulnerable to lava, falling rocks and deadly pyroclastic flows - superheated clouds of volcanic ash that travel up to 50 miles per hour and can instantly incinerate anything in their path.

Raymundo Punongbayan, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, urged residents of villages up to 5 miles away along the mountain's southeastern side to evacuate.

The institute said the ash column above the mountain reached about 4.5 miles high after one explosion and a pyroclastic flow rolled 3.5 miles down a deep gully on the southeastern slope. No injuries were reported.

Authorities canceled all flights to Legazpi, the airport closest to the volcano, located about 215 miles southeast of Manila in Albay province.

Judel Mirandilla, a 14-year-old student from the village of Bonga in the path of possible pyroclastic and lava flows, said he was roused from his sleep shortly after 1 a.m. by thunder-like explosions and flashes of light from the mountain.

``We became so scared we decided to leave. Other people were waking up our neighbors to evacuate,'' he said.

For about a week, the 8,118-foot mountain, famous for its cone-like shape, has been emitting ash plumes and occasional flows of lava. The crater's lava dome has swelled, releasing molten rocks the size of a room down its slopes.

The volcano has been showing signs of unrest since last June, spewing ash-laden smoke high in the sky several times last year. An explosion in September forced more than 5,700 people to flee their homes.

Mayon's most violent eruption on Feb. 1, 1814, killed more than 1,200 people and buried an entire town in volcanic mud flows. Its last eruption in February 1993 killed more than 70 villagers.

AP-NY-02-24-00 0441EST

 Copyright 2000 The Associated Press.  The information  contained in the AP news report may not be published,  broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without  prior written authority of The Associated Press. 

 

Announcement: America Online has added Reuters newswires to News Profiles. To add Reuters articles to your daily news delivery, go to KW: <A HREF="aol://5862:146">News Profiles</A> and click on "Modify Your News Profiles." Then click "Edit" and add Reuters from the list on the left.

To edit your profile, go to keyword <A HREF="aol://1722:NewsProfiles">NewsProfiles</A>.
For all of today's news, go to keyword <A HREF="aol://1722:News">News</A>.