The Philippine authorities on Friday evacuated people from the six kilometers radius danger zone around the erupting Mayon Volcano in Albay province, approximately 500km southeast of the capital Manila.

The Albay Provincial Information Office said more than 18,000 people from 14 villages within the danger zone must be evacuated to safety.

The local government had evacuated at least 10,000 people, and it would take a couple of days to evacuate all the affected villagers within the danger zone.

Albay province, on the southernmost tip of Luzon island, is now under a state of calamity.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council is still determining the exact number of evacuated people.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the volcano began erupting on Thursday, warning of a “potential explosive activity within weeks or even days.’’

In a five-level warning system, the institute raised the alarm at the 2,460-meter cone-shaped Mayon volcano to the third level.

The overall monitoring parameters indicated that very slow extrusion of shallow degassed magma was ongoing, the institute said.

Mayon is the Philippines’ most active volcano.

It last erupted in January 2018, resulting in evacuation of more than 23,000 people from nine cities and municipalities.

(Xinhua/NAN)