Philippine eruption fears prompt evacuation

Picture / Reuters

Thousands of people have evacuated their homes near a Philippine volcano amid warnings a major eruption is imminent.

Last week, volcanologists raised Mount Mayon's alert level to 3 - on a 1-5 scale - after the 2462-metre volcano began spewing ash and lava.

The experts said Mayon, the most active of 22 volcanoes in the Southeast Asian country, was showing signs of a major eruption within weeks.

More than 4300 farmers on the lower slopes of Mayon have refused to leave until alert level 4 is reached.

- REUTERS