Manila
Evacuations of families living close to an island volcano in the Philippines’ Batangas province were underway on Friday, a day after phreatomagmatic eruptions sent “a dark grayish plume” above the sky. “Evacuation activities in high-risk villages as well as in other nearby municipalities in the province are ongoing,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.
Roque said that the government has deployed military and police forces and vehicles to help move the affected residents away from the danger zone, reports Xinhua news agency. “We ask residents in the areas surrounding the volcano lake to remain vigilant, take precautionary measures, cooperate with their local authorities should the need for evacuation arise,” Roque added. Mark Timbal, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council spokesperson, said nearly 1,400 villagers in several towns have been evacuated since Thursday.
