Mayon volcano spews red-hot lava in another eruption as seen from Legazpi city, Albay province, around 340 kilometers (200 miles) southeast of Manila, Philippines, on Wednesday. (AP photo)MANILA: The number of people displaced by an erupting Philippine volcano soared to more than 61,000 by Wednesday, the Southeast Asian country's disaster agency said, as Mount Mayon ejected lava that produced an ash plume 5km high. The alert remains just one notch below the highest level of 5 after five more episodes of "intense but sporadic lava fountaining" from the summit crater over a 19-hour period from Tuesday morning, state volcanologists said. Some 56 flights were cancelled because of Mayon, the Philippines' most active and most picturesque volcano. Mayon's sporadic eruption, which began on Jan 13, has affected 54 villages in Albay, with a combined population of 71,373 people.

Source: Bangkok Post January 24, 2018 07:52 UTC