Taal Volcano erupted after four decades (evacuation and class suspension are given to nearby towns)

Taal is awakened!

The active volcano had a phreatic explosion on Sunday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said, prompting authorities to order a precautionary evacuation of residents in areas near the crater.

“The public is reminded that the Main Crater should be strictly off-limits, because sudden steam explosions can occur and high concentrations of lethal volcanic gases can be released,” the state volcanology bureau stated.

Related: WalangPasok Class Suspension on January 13, 2020

“In view of the phreatic activity in the Main Crater, Phivolcs advises precautionary evacuation of Taal Volcano Island pending observation of the volcano’s condition within the next 48 hours.”

Phivolcs had raised the alert level of the Volcano to Level 2, which is “increasing unrest”.

“This means that there is probable magmatic intrusion that may or may not lead to an eruption,” Phivolcs said.
In addition, the Phivolcs detected “increased steaming activity” at 1 p.m. on Sunday. They also noted that there was a plume that happened during the eruption, at approximately 100 meters high.

According to its Twitter account, Phivolcs has recorded multiple earthquakes in Batangas as a result of the volcanic eruption.

Taal Volcano is a complex volcano located on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. It last erupted in 1977.

Related: What are the effects of ashfall to our health and how to remedy it

It is the second most active volcano in the Philippines with 34 historical eruptions. All of these eruptions are concentrated on Volcano Island, an island near the middle of Taal Lake.

Some of cities and municipalities nearby already announced class suspension due to the heavy ashfall caused by Taal.

UPDATE as of 8pm:
Phivolcs raises Taal Volcano alert status to Alert Level 4. This means a hazardous eruption is imminent.