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Philippine authorities: Volcano eruption imminent
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At the Philippine's most active volcano, Mayon, plumes of ash rose higher than ever on Thursday morning, as authorities warned of a potential hazardous eruption that could happen anytime.
The ash clouds, rising two kilometers high, were the highest recorded since Mayon's seismic activity intensified in the past days.
Seismologists observed 21 ash explosions and more than eight hundred earthquakes in the volcano over a 24-hour period.
Soldiers searched villages in the eight-kilometer danger zone around Mayon Volcano, aiming to ensure all people were clear of the area.
Colonel Razaleigh Bansawan, Task Force Mayon spokesperson,said, "We will force the residents who have entered the danger zone to go back to the evacuation centers."
Officials have evacuated nearly 50,000 residents from the no-go area.
Provincial authorities have distributed relief goods to the evacuees, but many of those forced to live in temporary shelters complain of cramped conditions.
A villager said, "People are being sent away from here. But when we get to the evacuation center, what about the food for our families?"
Mayon is the most active of 22 volcanoes in the country, having erupted more than 50 times in the past four centuries.
The most destructive eruption was in February 1841, when lava flows buried a town and killed 12-hundred people.
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