MANILA, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Over 1,400 people in Albay province in the northern Philippines have been evacuated since Friday after the Mayon Volcano erupted, according to local officials.
The evacuees, who lived within the volcano's 6-km permanent danger zone (PDZ), were moved to safer areas. The Philippine National Police has strictly prohibited entry to the PDZ due to potential hazards.
The Mayon Volcano experienced a "moderately explosive eruption" at around 11:53 a.m. local time Friday, generating a plume that rose 3,000 meters above the crater. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology on the same day raised the volcano's alert level from 2 to 3, with Level 5 being the highest.
Mayon, famed for its near-perfect conical shape, is one of the Philippines' most active volcanoes and has a long history of explosive eruptions that have triggered mass evacuations. ■
