Taal volcano in the Philippines may erupt any time soon

According to seismologists, the Taal volcanο in the Philippines may erupt any time soon.

The volcano is located about 70 kilometers south of Manila, the Philippines capital. It is the second most active volcano in the country and has caused disastrous eruptions throughout the years. The volcano that is considered one of the smallest worldwide is located in the middle of a lake and its activity is recorded since 1592. In total, 34 eruptions, with at least 6 of them causing casualties and triggering tsunamis in the crater's lake, have been recorded.

On Sunday, January 12, 2020, a plume of smoke and ash rose above the volcano alerting people and triggering massive evacuations. The smoke spread as far as 100 kilometers away from the volcano reaching the capital city of Manila and causing significant problems including the shutdown of the Philippine's main airport. 

Philippines volcano monitoring agency raised the alert level for Taal volcano to 4 which is described as "Intense unrest - hazardous eruption possible within days".

According to the Official United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), about half a million people live within a 14-kilometer radius of the volcano. Around 8,000 people have been accommodated to evacuation facilities in the provinces of Batangas and Cavite. Some local people are still in the process of evacuation and officials believe the total number will significantly increase. However, some residences could not move out of the harmful area due to lack of a transport mean and reduced visibility. 

Moreover, there were a few locals that did not leave as they did not want to abandon their properties while others were returning to retrieve their personal stuff. Military forces and police were deployed to prevent people from returning to their residences. “We’re trying to stop them from returning and warning that the volcano can explode again any time and hit them,” Wilson Maralit, mayor of Balete, stated. 

On early Monday, a flow of lava effused out of the volcano. "Taal volcano entered a period of intense unrest...that progressed into magmatic eruption at 02:49 to 04:28...this is characterized by weak lava fountaining accompanied by thunder and flashes of lightning," the Phivolcs, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, stated.

On the same day, a truck overturned due to lack of visibility in Calamba City. The driver of the vehicle was reported dead and 3 passengers suffered injuries. No reports about subsequent casualties associated with the volcanic activity have been issued.