Tag: volcano

Ash covers towns after Philippine volcano eruption

  MANILA, Philippines (AFP) — A volcano in the eastern Philippines spewed a huge, dark cloud on Sunday, prompting evacuations from ash-covered towns while authorities warned of possible further eruptions. The blast from Bulusan volcano in the rural Sorsogon province lasted about 17 minutes, sending a grey plume shooting up at least one kilometre (0.6 miles), according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PhiVolcs). No casualties were reported, but authorities raised the alert […]

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Papua New Guinea’s Ulawun volcano erupts

KOKOPO, Papua New Guinea (AFP) — The Mount Ulawun volcano in northeastern Papua New Guinea erupted early Thursday, spewing ash high into the air before easing with no injuries reported. The country’s Geohazards Management Division reported “continuous forceful emissions of thick grey ash clouds” from the volcano for about 15 minutes. Mount Ulawun is one of the world’s most hazardous volcanoes, featuring on a list of 16 “decade volcanoes” targeted for research by volcanologists because […]

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Giant ice volcanoes identified on Pluto

by Daniel Lawler Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) – Strange lumpy terrain on Pluto unlike anything previously observed in the solar system indicates that giant ice volcanoes were active relatively recently on the dwarf planet, scientists said on Tuesday. The observation, which was made by analysing images taken by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, suggests that Pluto’s interior was hotter much later than previously thought, according to a new study in the Nature Communications journal. Rather than […]

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PHIVOLCS: No earthquakes monitored at Taal in 24 hours but alert level 3 still in place

(Eagle News) — No volcanic earthquake was monitored at Taal in 24 hours. However, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology retained its alert level 3 over the volcano, amid what it noted was its still high activity that might signal an imminent eruption. According to PHIVOLCS, sulfur dioxide flux was pegged at 1140 tons on March 27. A plume that went as high as 1000 meters was also observed. PHIVOLCS reiterated the ban on […]

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Boarding on an active volcano: Nicaragua’s tourism boon

LEON, Nicaragua (AFP) – It took Ana Muller half an hour to trek to the peak of the Cerro Negro volcano, a small effort given the reward on offer at Nicaragua’s top tourist attraction: volcano boarding. The active Cerro Negro is just 728 meters (2,400 feet) high, but sliding down its ash-covered slopes on a board is a 40-second thrill that allows participants to say they have surfed a volcano. “It is a unique experience,” […]

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Some 900 families evacuated from Taal Volcano vicinity as magmatic unrest continues

Numbers expected to rise as evacuation of high-risk communities pushed   (Eagle News) – Around 900 families have already evacuated in the CALABARZON region due to the “phreatomagmatic” eruption of Taal Volcano since Saturday, March 26. Malacanang said on Sunday, March 27, that the “Executive Department is closely monitoring the situation in the areas near Taal Volcano” which is still under Alert Level 3. As of Sunday, there were 869 families or 2,961 individuals who […]

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Thousands flee after Taal volcano erupts

  MANILA, Philippines (AFP) — Thousands of people were ordered to evacuate from their homes near a Philippine volcano Saturday after an eruption sent ash and steam hundreds of metres into the sky. Taal volcano, which sits in a lake south of Manila, exploded with a “short-lived” burst at 7:22 am (2322 GMT), the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in a statement. It warned further eruptions were possible, which it said could trigger […]

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Hundreds flee their homes as Indonesian volcano erupts

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) – Indonesia’s Mount Merapi unleashed a torrent of hot clouds, turning the sky a fiery red, as molten lava flowed down its slopes on Thursday with the eruption forcing over 250 people to flee their homes, authorities said. The volcano — one of the most active in the world — erupted multiple times overnight, spewing gas, volcanic ash and rocks that flowed over five kilometres down its slopes, the head of Indonesia’s […]

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Tonga virus cases surge in wake of eruption

NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga (AFP) – The Omicron variant coronavirus entered Tonga for the first time in the wake of last month’s volcanic eruption, officials confirmed Thursday, as the number of Covid-19 cases in the kingdom almost doubled to 64. Health Minister Saia Piukala said 31 new cases had been detected in the previous 24 hours, a record for the island nation which was virus-free until last month’s blast. Piukala said samples sent to Australia confirmed the […]

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Eruption-hit Tonga closes borders as Covid detected

NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga (AFP) – Volcano-devastated Tonga will close its borders Wednesday after Covid-19 was detected in the previously virus-free Pacific kingdom as it struggles to recover from last month’s deadly disaster, officials said. Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni said two men tested positive this week in the capital Nuku’alofa and were in isolation. He said the men had been working in the city’s port, where humanitarian aid has been pouring in from around the globe since the […]

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Covid-hit Australian warship delivers disaster aid to Tonga

NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga (AFP) — A coronavirus-hit Australian warship docked in Tonga on Wednesday, delivering desperately needed aid to the volcano-and-tsunami-struck nation under strict “no-contact” protocols. Tongan Health Minister Saia Piukala said the crew of the HMAS Adelaide would follow drastic health protocols to ensure the remote Pacific kingdom remains one of the few places in the world still free of Covid-19. “The ship will berth and no contacts will be made. Australians from the ship […]

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Covid outbreak on ship threatens Tonga aid efforts

NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga (AFP) – A Covid-19 outbreak on an Australian warship threatened to disrupt Tonga eruption aid efforts Tuesday, as survivors of the deadly volcanic blast described how they fled with only the clothes on their backs. The January 15 eruption generated huge tsunami waves and blanketed the Pacific kingdom in toxic ash when it obliterated an uninhabited island with explosive forces more powerful than a nuclear bomb. Australia has led international relief efforts, rushing […]

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