Philipines raises Mayon Volcano threat to critical

The Philippines’ most active volcano Mayon  has come back to life with lava  rising to its crater in a gentle eruption due to which   authorities has prompted to evacuate thousands of villagers.

Authorities raised the alert level at the Mayon volcano to “level 3” on Sunday after detecting lava flow and indications of activity that could lead to eruptions of magma.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) warned late on Sunday that a “hazardous eruption” of Mount Mayon was possible within weeks or even days. The 2,460-metre (8,070-ft) volcano is located in Albay province in the north-eastern Philippines.

According to sources  three steam-explosions by the volcano since Saturday have spewed ash into nearby villages and may have breached solidified lava at the crater and caused lava to start to flow out.

Disaster response officials said nearly 1,000 families had been moved to emergency shelters.

Authorities advised people to cover their mouths and noses with a damp, clean cloth or dust mask if they were exposed to ash from the eruptions, and said aircraft must avoid flying close to the volcano’s summit.