A volcano in the Philippines erupted yesterday, with one Thai hiker reported missing, bringing the potential death toll from the eruption to six and injuries to twelve.
Mount Mayon, located in central Philippines, erupted early yesterday morning after being dormant for six years. At the time, 27 tourists and guides were near the crater. These tourists were from Germany, Austria, Thailand, and Indonesia. It is known that three German tourists, one Spanish tourist, and one Filipino guide were killed by falling rocks, with twelve others injured.
Today, media reports indicate that one more Thai tourist is listed as missing. If confirmed dead, the death toll from this volcanic eruption will rise to six.
A guide said that when the volcano erupted, dense fog enveloped the area around the crater. He was leading the tourists cautiously down the mountain when rocks ejected from the crater began to fall, some as large as backpacks, striking the tourists, resulting in fatalities and injuries.
Mount Mayon stands at an elevation of 2,472 meters and is famed for the near-perfect cone shape of its crater. The summit offers stunning scenery and attracts many visitors every year. Since 1616, it has erupted 50 times, with the last eruption occurring in 2006, which forced the evacuation of over 30,000 residents living at the foot of the mountain. Mount Mayon...
During its eruption in 1814, volcanic ash buried a town, killing 1,200 people; in 1993, an eruption claimed 79 lives.
(China Broadcasting Corporation)