Philippines prepares evacuation plans near volcano

MANILA, July 15 (Reuters) Philippine disaster officials today ordered thousands of villagers on Saturday to prepare for a possible evacuation from the southeast slopes of Mount Mayon, a restive volcano in the central area of the archipelago.

Late yesterday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised the alert level at the 2,462-metre volcano after a lava spill was observed at its crater.

Vulcanologist Jaime Sincioco said the danger zone on Mayon's southeastern slope, facing Legazpi City and Sto. Domingo town, was widened to 7 km because of the lava flow risk. A 6-km danger zone was kept in other areas around Mayon.

''We're watching the volcano closely,'' he told Reuters, adding that the volcanology institute has asked disaster and local government agencies to prepare people to abandon farms and homes.

An estimated 60,000 people in six towns in Albay province would be evacuated in the event of a big eruption, said Cedric Daep of the provincial disaster coordinating council.

''We will start evacuating people once the alert level is raised to 4,'' Daep told reporters, adding the authorities has started to stockpile food, medicine and relief materials.

''We're now on the state of full preparedness.'' Mayon volcano in the Bicol region showed abnormal activity last month and spewed ashes on Thursday, covering homes in Malilipot town. When lava suddenly trickled from its crater late yesterday, authorities raised the alert level to 3 from 1.

At level 3 an explosion is considered possible, at level 4 it is seen as likely and at level 5, the highest alert, an eruption has occurred with lava flows or ash columns reaching 6 km.

''Our instruments and observation posts around Mayon detected magma was rising and pushing molten rocks that had accumulated in its craters to spill and trickle on the slopes,'' Sincioco said.

People on the southeast slopes could see the volcano aglow at night as molten rocks were breaking off from the crater.

Vulcanologists have been watching Bulusan volcano in nearby Sorsogon province after it spewed ash and vented steam in March. Last month, authorities raised the alert level there to 2.

Mayon is the most active volcano in the country, having erupted around 50 times over the past four centuries. The most destructive eruption came in February 1841 when lava flows buried a town and killed 1,200 people.

The last time Mayon erupted was in 2000-2001.

REUTERS SB KP1223