Thousands of residents were urged to evacuate their homes near the Philippines' Taal volcano on Saturday after an eruption sent ash and steam hundreds of meters into the sky, AFP reported.

The Taal Volcano, located in a lake south of Manila, erupted at 07:22 am local time, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in a statement.

The institute warned of the possibility of new eruptions, which it said could cause dangerous, fast-moving volcanic flows of gas, ash and debris, as well as tsunamis.

The seismological agency strongly recommended the evacuation of residents living in vulnerable areas around the lake and raised the alert level from two to three. The first eruption was followed by almost continuous phreatomagmatic activity.

Residents of five villages have been ordered to leave their homes, Calvin regional civil defense spokesman John Reyes told AFP.

According to the latest official figures, more than 12,000 people live in the settlements. Police have been deployed to prevent people from entering high-risk areas.

Taal is one of the most active volcanoes in the country, which periodically suffers from eruptions and earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" - a zone of increased seismic activity.

Access to the island of the volcano, where a community of thousands once lived, has been banned since January 2020.

It was then that as a result of the eruption, dozens of houses were destroyed, livestock was destroyed and tens of thousands of residents were evacuated.
Last July, the seismological agency raised the alert level to three after another volcanic eruption.