Philippine volcano shows increased activity, lava flows

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines July 16 (Reuters) Flaming mud and rocks the size of a car cascaded from the slopes of Mount Mayon, an active volcano in the central Philippines, raising the risk of a hazardous eruption, a volcanologist today said.

Thousands of people in six towns in Albay province packed their belongings as they prepared to flee their farms and homes due to increased volcanic activities in the last 24 hours that prompted authorities to raise the alert level on Friday.

''We've observed heightened activities in the volcano,'' resident vulcanologist Ed Laguerta told Reuters. ''From 6 a m on Saturday to 6 a m today, our instruments recorded a total of 111 volcanic tremors, a significant increase from Friday to yesterday's 22.'' Laguerta said lava was seeping out of the summit of the 2,462-metre volcano forming an elongated mass to about 800 metres downslope.

The lava flow had deposited a stream of incandescent molten rocks long Mayon's upper and middle slopes, about 3 km from the summit.

A 6-km danger zone was imposed around Mayon, but was widened to 7-km on the southeast slope, facing Legazpi City and Sto. Domingo town, due to the risks of lava flow.

''If the activities continued in the next few days, we may upgrade the alert level to 4, which means a hazardous eruption is imminent within hours to days,'' said Laguerta, adding they have also recorded increased sulphuric gas emissions.

An estimated 60,000 people in Albay province in the central Philippines would be evacuated in the event of a major eruption, disaster official Cedric Daep said yesterday.

Mayon volcano in the Bicol region showed abnormal activity last month and spewed ashes on Thursday, covering homes in Malilipot town. When lava trickled from its crater late on Friday, authorities raised the alert level to 3 from 1.

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

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has been watching Bulusan volcano in nearby Sorsogon province after it spewed ash and vented steam in March. Last month, volcanologists raised the alert level there to 2.

The Philippines lies on the ''Ring of Fire'', a belt of volcanoes that circles the Pacific Ocean, which is also prone to earthquakes.

Mayon is the most active volcano in the country, having erupted around 50 times over the past 400 years. 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 SY KP1001