Volcano erupts near Manila; thousands evacuated and airport closed

More than6,000 villagers have been evacuated,following theeruption of theTaal Volcano.Taal Volcano is located south of the Philippine capital, and the massive plume of ash and steam blasted from the eruption shutdownManila'sInternationalAirport on Sunday.

This is the first eruption in decades.There were no immediate reports of casualties, but some 300,000 peopleare beingmoved to safety in the next coupleofdays.

The Philippines Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised the danger level around Taal three notches to level 4, indicating "a hazardous eruption may happen within hours or days," which is only one level belowthe most dangerous situation.

Source(s): AFP