Taal volcano continues to emit plumes of smoke with high levels of sulphur dioxide

Taal volcano continues to emit plumes of smoke with high levels of sulphur dioxide

Footage shows the Taal volcano continuing to emit plumes of smoke with high levels of sulphur dioxide today (July 5).

Resident Zorskie Mangagao was outside her house when she noticed the gas coming out of the mountain in Tanauan City, Batangas province, the Philippines.

She said: ‘We were scared but we have prepared ourselves for possibilities if anything bad happens.

We just hope it doesn’t get worse.

Undersecretary for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Renato Solidum Jr. said: ‘The dispersal of the sulphur dioxide gas [emitted by the volcano] is dependent [on] the wind direction, and the wind direction changes on elevation.

‘The wind may shift a little bit, but as you know the wind would disperse the SO2 gas and if it rains, it would just bring it down.’ The volcano rumbled and fired hot smoke and gas almost a mile into the sky.

Officials raised the alert to level three and smoke covered homes in nearby capital Manila around 43 miles away.

Cameras monitoring the volcano recorded the moment of eruption.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said it happened from 3:16 to 3:21 in the afternoon of Thursday, July 1, 2021.

Officials warned there was ‘magmatic intrusion’ at Taal’s main crater that may ‘drive succeeding eruptions’.