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Residents living near the Taal volcano are evacuated by truck on January 13, 2020. REUTERS / Eloisa Lopez

In the Philippines, thousands of people living around the Taal volcano have been evacuated. But he could continue spitting ashes for weeks, making return impossible.

The Taal volcano could continue for weeks to spew ash and lava south of Manila, authorities warned on Tuesday, which could prevent the return of thousands of people who have evacuated for fear of an eruption of large scale.

The volcano located 65 km from the capital woke up on Sunday, projecting a huge column of smoke into the sky and jets of glowing lava, causing the departure of many inhabitants of the nearby mountains.

Philippine Red Cross president Richard Gordon said his organization was " preparing for the worst " and urged local people to leave. " Take your animals and livestock to evacuation centers if necessary, " he insisted.

30,000 people sheltered

When authorities sounded a siren alerting them to the risk of an "explosive eruption", many hastily abandoned their livestock and pets, but also their homes and property. This Tuesday, they were already 30,000 to have gained emergency shelter.

FMM computer graphics service

The Taal volcano, which is in the middle of a crater lake in an area very popular with tourists, is one of the most active in an archipelago which is an area of ​​intense seismic activity due to its position on the " " Pacific Ring of Fire ".

Since Sunday, the volcano has offered a spectacle as majestic as it is terrifying, with impressive lightning sporadically above its summit, a phenomenon which is not fully explained by science but which is due to static electricity.

The #volcan Taal sparks thousands of electric shocks which are due to the shock between dust and ash caused by the eruption. Source: https://t.co/UvucJk0LGp pic.twitter.com/CuBpawQt17

The Weather Channel (@lachainemeteo) January 12, 2020

It is impossible to say how long this eruption will last, observed the director of the Volcanology and Seismology Institute of the Philippines (Phivolcs), Renato Solidum, recalling that the previous ones had sometimes lasted for months.

The alert warning of a potentially catastrophic “explosive eruption” risk could remain in place for weeks, depending on the evolution of field observations.

(With AFP)