Volcanic ash makes roads hazardous in Philippines

Red-hot lava gushed out of a volcano near the Philippine capital on Monday, as tens of thousands of people fled the area through heavy ash and frightening tremors. Experts warned that the eruption could get worse and plans were being made to evacuate hundreds of thousands more.

Clouds of ash blew more than 100 kilometres (62 miles) north of the Taal volcano on Sunday, reaching Manila, the bustling capital, and forcing the shutdown of the country's main airport, with more than 500 flights cancelled. The airport was partially reopened Monday after the ashfall eased. There have been no reports of casualties or major damage so far.

The government’s disaster-response agency and other officials reported more than 30,000 villagers have fled their homes in the hard-hit province of Batangas and nearby Cavite province, but officials expect the number to swell with hundreds of thousands more moving out of harm’s way. Some residents could not move out of ash-blanketed villages immediately due to a lack of transport and poor visibility. Others refused to leave their homes and farms.

Taal had been restive for months until it suddenly rumbled back to life Sunday, blasting steam, ash and pebbles up to 10 to 15 kilometers (6 to 9 miles) into the sky, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.