More Filipinos evacuated amid volcanic eruption fears

Mount Mayon in Central Philippines has spewed red lava and is venting sulfur dioxide gas and other toxic emissions as 50,000 people have been evacuated.

The activity comes after two weeks of earthquakes, incandescent lava and minor ash falls indicated that an eruption is imminent.

The evacuation of Albay province residents to emergency shelters began in mid-December as the Director of the Philippines Institute of Volcanology and Seismology warned that a volcanic eruption is looming.

Of the 37 volcanoes in the Philippines, 18 are still active. The most well known volcanoes in the country are Mount Pinatubo, the Taal volcano and Mount Mayon, all of which are located in the northern island of Luzon.

Mount Mayon, the most active volcano in Philippines, has erupted 47 times since 1616, killing at least 1,300 people and destroying homes and communities. Its most recent eruptions took place in 1947, 1984 and 1993.