Mayon alert status down to level 3 — Philvolcs

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Philvolcs) on Tuesday downgraded the alert status of Mayon Volcano in Albay from alert level four to level three, indicating that the volcano has shown a “decreased tendency” toward hazardous eruption. (Pixabay photo)

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Philvolcs) on Tuesday downgraded the alert status of Mayon Volcano in Albay from alert level four to level three, indicating that the volcano has shown a “decreased tendency” toward hazardous eruption.

“Mayon Volcano’s condition in the past week has been characterized by a general decline in unrest reflected by moderate seismicity and degassing, deflation of the edifice and a decrease in eruptive activity at the summit crater,” Philvolcs said.

Philvolcs, however, clarified that even though the alert status went down one notch, it does not mean that the unrest has ceased.

“The volcano can be expected to continue generating volcanic earthquakes, magmatic gas output and weak surface processes such as sporadic degassing and lava effusion events, steam-driven explosions, rockfall and pyroclastic density currents, while shallow remnant magma rests within the edifice,” it explained.

The agency added that residents and people must still be “strictly prohibited” from the six kilometer-radius Permanent Danger Zone and the seven kilometer-radius Extended Danger Zone in the south-southwest to east-northeast sector.

“Active river channels and those perennially identified as lahar prone areas in the southern and eastern sectors should also be avoided especially during bad weather conditions or when there is heavy and prolonged rainfall,” it continued.

People residing close to the danger zone are also advised to observe precautions associated with rockfalls and ashfall.

The Philvolcs raised the alert level of the country’s most active volcano to level four, indicating a hazardous eruption was imminent after it spewed a huge column of ash last January. Due to this, the state volcanologists also extended the coverage of the danger zone around the volcano to eight kilometers (km) from the crater.

Amid the threat of the eruption of Mayon, the city of Albay was placed under a state of calamity on January 16, which led to tens of thousands of residents to evacuate.

Mayon Volcano, one of the popular tourist destinations in the Bicol region, last erupted in 2014. The most destructive eruption of this volcano happened on February 1, 1814, which killed roughly 1,200 people.

The eruption also destroyed the towns of Camalig, Cagsawa, Budiao and Guinobatan towns, and half of Albay province.