NEWSFLASH

ERUPTION FEARED, MAYON VOLCANO SLOPES NOW ‘NO MAN’S LAND’

Legazpi City, Feb. 17, 2000 The Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) has declared the 6-kilometer-radius around the crater of Mayon Volcano as ‘no man’s land’ and ordered the evacuation of all residents in the area.

The evacuation was deemed necessary followinga warning from government volcanologists that Mayon’s monitoring instruments have detected the slow ascent of magma toward the volcano’s summit. Also observed was the increase in volcanic gas emissions, with sulfur dioxide output measured at 5,700 tons, up from the previoous day’s 1,500 tons.

Chief Supt. Marcelo Navarro, Bicol police chief, said police and military personnel under Task Force Mayon are presently deployed around the danger zone, to ensure that all villagers are evacuated and no one is allowed to return.

Navarro estimates that in case of an eruption, at least 3,137 families would be affected.

The towns that could be on the path of the lava are: Tabaco, Daraga, Camalig and Ligao.