Philippines, Manila Airport Indefinitely Suspends Operations Due to Volcanic Eruption

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] A volcano erupted about 65 km south of Manila, the capital of the Philippines, causing indefinite suspension of flight operations at Manila Airport. With more than 170 flights already canceled, the chaos is expected to continue.

According to local media and foreign news on the 13th, the Philippine aviation authorities have indefinitely suspended flight operations due to the eruption of Taal Volcano. Flight operations have been halted since 6 PM the previous day (local time) due to volcanic ash. Additionally, volcanic ash fell on Clark Airport, located north of Manila, leading to an order to close the airport.

Taal Volcano showed activity starting around 11 AM the previous day. Subsequently, volcanic ash was emitted, and by around 7:30 PM, a tephra (all types of volcanic ejecta such as volcanic ash) column reaching 10 to 15 km in height was formed. Volcanic ash fell as far as north of Quezon City in Metro Manila, prompting the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) to issue a level 4 alert.

The Philippine authorities declared Taal Volcano Island a permanent danger zone, blocking public access, and issued an evacuation order for residents within a 14 km radius. As a result, at least 6,000 residents and tourists evacuated, and it is predicted that up to 200,000 nearby residents could be affected if a large-scale volcanic eruption occurs.

On the 13th, the Philippine Presidential Office ordered a day off for all government offices and schools in the metropolitan area and nearby regions, and recommended business closures for private companies.

Taal Volcano's eruptions in 1911 and 1965 resulted in 1,300 and 200 deaths, respectively.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.