Over 7,000 persons evacuated in Albay amid Mayon unrest — DSWD

AWAY FROM DANGER ZONE Evacuees are hauled off to shelters from a village in Giunobatan town, Albay, on June 9, 2023, a day after Phivolcs raised the Mayon Volcano alert status to level 3. INQUIRER file photo / MARK ALVIC ESPLANA

MANILA, Philippines — Amid Mayon Volcano’s unrest, more than 7,000 people across 2,169 families have been evacuated to designated public school buildings and evacuation centers in Albay as of Saturday, reported the state welfare bureau.

Forced evacuation began on Friday according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) raised Alert Level 3 over Mayon.

“Alert Level 3 is now raised over Mayon Volcano, which means that it is currently in a relatively high level of unrest as magma is at the crater and hazardous eruption is possible within weeks or even days. It is therefore recommended that the 6-km radius Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) be evacuated due to the danger of PDCs, lava flows, rockfalls and other volcanic hazards,” said Phivolcs in its advisory.

DSWD has also deployed 102,000 family food packs to Albay as the province braces for volcanic activity.

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