. | . |
Thousands defy Philippine volcano warnings Manila (AFP) April 10, 2011 Thousands of people living near a volcano on an island close to the Philippine capital defied official warnings to evacuate on Sunday as fears of an eruption grew. Only 77 people living near the crater of Taal Volcano left the island, a popular visitor spot 65 kilometres (40 miles) south of Manila, over the weekend, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said. The island is home to 7,000 farmers, fishermen and tourist guides, according to the country's volcanology institute. The government on Friday warned magma was pushing toward the surface amid a dramatic rise in gas emissions, a swelling of the ground and higher temperature on the surrounding Taal lake, which it said could eventually lead to an eruption. Visits to the 2,500-hectare (6,178-acre) crater island, a tourist major draw, were banned and local officials put up posters on surrounding communities urging them to leave. "Phivolcs (the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology) advises the public that the main crater and (nearby trails) are strictly off-limits because of sudden hazardous steam-driven explosions may occur," the council said. The council said the entire volcano island was a "permanent danger zone" and should not be settled. Taal is one of the most unstable of the country's 22 known active volcanoes with 33 recorded eruptions, the last one in 1977. The lake surrounding the crater prevented deaths in 1977 and during other eruptions, as the body of water protected outlying areas from the lava.
Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters When the Earth Quakes A world of storm and tempest
S.Korea proposes fresh volcano talks with N.Korea Seoul (AFP) April 6, 2011 South Korea on Wednesday proposed a resumption of talks with the North about the volcanic threat from the peninsula's highest mountain in a rare case of cooperation following months of confrontation. South Korean experts suggested to their counterparts in the North that they meet in the North Korean border city of Kaesong on Tuesday next week, Unification Ministry spokeswoman Lee Jong-Joo to ... read more |
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |