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2023.06.19 21:03 GMT+8

Over 600 evacuees fall ill due to volcanic eruption in Philippines

Updated 2023.06.19 21:03 GMT+8
CGTN

Mayon volcano spews hot vapors as seen from Malilipot, Albay province, northeastern Philippines, June 15, 2023. /CFP

At least 628 people have fallen ill after being displaced to shelters due to the eruption of Mayon Volcano, the most active volcano in the Philippines, a government agency reported on Monday.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council recorded at least 10 kinds of sickness affecting the evacuees aged between 2 and 64, including cough, cold, fever, gastroenteritis, acute respiratory infection, and skin disease.

The disaster management agency said nearly 39,000 people have been affected by Mayon's eruption, which started on June 8.

Local authorities have evacuated over 20,000 villagers living in the danger zone around the picturesque, cone-shaped Mayon Volcano in Albay province, approximately 500 km southeast of the Philippine capital Manila.

The province, under a state of calamity, has set up 28 evacuation centers for displaced people, mostly in school classrooms.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology on Monday recorded pyroclastic flows from the volcano's collapsed lava domes that lasted three minutes. Steam-laden plumes rose to 600 meters, and the institute maintained the volcano's alert level at 3 on a scale of 5.

The Volcano last erupted in 2018, resulting in the evacuation of more than 23,000 people from nine cities and municipalities.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency
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