MAYON VOLCANO ERUPTS, MORE THAN 1,400 PEOPLE EVACUATED

MANILA, OCTOBER 31 /SRNA/ - More than 1,400 people in Albay Province in the northern Philippines have been evacuated following the eruption of Mayon Volcano, local authorities said.

People who live within the volcano's six-kilometer permanent danger zone have been moved to safer areas. The Philippine National Police has strictly prohibited entry into the danger zone.

Authorities recorded a moderately explosive eruption of Mayon Volcano, generating an ash plume that rose 3,000 meters above the crater. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised the volcano's alert level from 2 to 3 that same day, with 5 being the highest level.

Mayon, known for its almost perfectly symmetrical cone shape, is one of the most active volcanoes in the Philippines and has a long history of explosive eruptions, Xinhua reports.