The Philippines' Taal Volcano, situated near the capital region, has erupted, sending a plume of steam soaring more than 2km high, according to the seismology agency. Taal, located approximately 70km south of central Manila, is one of the world's smallest active volcanoes, and its past eruptions have had significant impacts on the capital and air travel.
The agency's chief, Teresito Bacolcol, characterized the eruption as phreatomagmatic, a process where magma interacts with water, resulting in a steam plume. The volcano is nestled within a large lake near the town of Tagaytay in Cavite province.
"This phreatomagmatic eruption was confined to the volcano island. We are assessing whether there is any ashfall on the eastern side, but there has been no evacuation order issued," Bacolcol stated over the phone. He also noted that the alert level remained at the lowest on the scale, with no immediate reports of injuries.
Despite its modest height of 311 meters, Taal Volcano can be highly dangerous; a 1911 eruption claimed over 1,300 lives. In July 2021, thousands were evacuated when the volcano emitted a 1km high plume of gas and steam. A year prior, Taal erupted with a column of ash and steam reaching as high as 15km, forcing more than 100,000 people to leave their homes and causing widespread disruption in the capital.
