Taal volcano eruption: lava, lightning and a ‘hazardous explosion within hours’, but for some Filipinos, an eerie calm
- Volcano experts warn a ‘hazardous explosive eruption’ is imminent and could force more than 200,000 to flee
- Tens of thousands have already been evacuated and one death reported, though some are taking matters in stride
Fountains of lava and columns of ash illuminated by lightning rising to the sky; once bustling towns reduced to silence; empty streets swirling with dust and houses hastily abandoned; cars driving blindly through dust storms; gardens and orchards reduced to a uniform, eerie grey.
It was not the sort of Monday morning Filipinos were planning for.
“The scary thing is, right now it’s so dark, the entire sky has become cloudy grey,” said Jonathan Domingo, who lives on a ridge in Tagaytay City, a tourist destination famous for its views of Taal volcano, which has been spurting jets of red-hot lava hundreds of metres into the air since bursting to life on Sunday.
A “hazardous explosive eruption” of Taal was expected within “hours or days”, authorities said on Monday, warning that more than 200,000 people could be forced to flee if conditions worsened. Already, some 45,000 people have been evacuated from high-risk areas surrounding the volcano, which is located just 65km (40 miles) south of the capital.
Yet Domingo has taken matters in stride, at least for now. Most of the people in his village have fled and few establishments remain open, but he plans not to evacuate just yet though he concedes that “if you’re going to use the strict definition, yes we are in a high risk area”.
Domingo and his partner Ron Art Allado spent the night photographing the eruptions, making the most of stunning lightning shows that have periodically played out above the volcano in a little-understood phenomenon that has been attributed to static electricity. The pair have posted their work on Facebook “for posterity”.
