Philippine volcano shudders with earthquakes

A Philippine volcano belched smaller plumes of ash but shuddered continuously with earthquakes and opened cracks in roads Thursday as police blocked at-risk towns due to fears of a bigger eruption.

A crater lake and nearby river dried up in signs of the Taal volcano's continuing restiveness, and officials have warned people against speculating the five-day eruption is waning.

Soldiers and police blocked villagers from sneaking back by boats to the volcanic island and nearby towns to retrieve belongings, poultry and cattle.

"We can't buy anything because we have no money. We were caught by surprise and we don't have any source of income anymore," said Emilia Villamor, who waited for supplies after being evacuated.

Many houses and farms have been damaged by volcanic ash since the eruption started Sunday, though no deaths or major injuries have been reported after tens of thousands of people evacuated.

The volcano in Batangas province is over 65 kilometres (40 miles) south of the capital, Manila.

Amid warnings of an imminent and more dangerous eruption, police cordoned off at least four towns along or near the coast of a lake surrounding volcano island, sparking arguments with villagers.

A fire engine blocked a key access road and police set up checkpoints.

Over 121,000 people fled their homes just in Batangas province, which has declared a state of calamity to allow faster releases of emergency funds.

At least 373 evacuation sites were crammed with displaced villagers and needed more ash masks, portable toilets, bottled water and sleeping mats, according to a provincial disaster-response office.

About four villages exist on the island despite it being a permanent danger zone.

The 1,020-foot (311-metre) Taal is one of the world's smallest volcanoes but also one of the most restive of 24 active volcanoes across the Philippines.

The Southeast Asian archipelago of more than 100 million people is in the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," the string of faults around the ocean basin where most of the world's earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur.