LEGASPI, Philippines (AFP) - Tens of thousands of Filipinos evacuated from the shadow of a volcano that began spewing ash and lava prepared to head home on Saturday after the alert level was lowered.
The lowering of the alert level for the Mayon Volcano on the main island of Luzon means that people evacuated from an eight-kilometre (five-mile) danger zone can return home, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.
Around 50,000 people around Mayon were evacuated after the alert was raised to four on a five-point scale on December 20, signaling that a major volcanic eruption could be imminent in the disaster-prone Philippines.
"Definitely it is over... for now," said Joey Salceda, governor of Albay province, which includes Mayon.
However the institute warned that the "overall state of unrest remains relatively high," and that people should remain outside a six-kilometre "permanent danger zone".
"The situation could change and we could raise the alert level again. This is what happened in 2001 when Mayon paused for a long time and then resumed erupting," said institute director Renato Solidum.
Solidum warned there were still signs of magma rising in the volcano and that rocks, lava and volcanic ash already on the slopes could come crashing down in avalanches or mudslides.
An August 2006 eruption caused no immediate deaths but the following December a passing typhoon unleashed an avalanche of volcanic mud from the mountain's slopes that left 1,000 dead.
More than 46,000 people living some seven to eight kilometres around Mayon will be allowed to return home while over 3,000 who live in a six-kilometre zone will have to remain in evacuation centres, Salceda told AFP.
On Saturday the institute lowered the alert level to three, meaning "there is less probability of a hazardous explosion."
Salceda said all families leaving evacuation centres would be provided with food rations for three days and cash for home repairs.
Many evacuees were eager to leave, complaining that the evacuation centres -- mainly government schools -- did not have enough facilities or food supplies.
"Some bathrooms could not be used and the place was overcrowded. Sometimes the relief goods were not enough. We did not even get any food yesterday," said 20-year-old Rosa Mantes, whose parents have a farm in the foothills of Mayon.
"We wanted to go back earlier but the government really tightened security in the danger zones."
Elba Bana, 60, said she was happy to go home but added: "We are always afraid, especially when the rain is strong and there may be lahar," a kind of volcanic mudflow. "If there is strong rain, then we may be evacuated again."
Salceda said the evacuation had shown the country was well prepared in the case of a future eruption. "We have proven already that we can easily bring them back to the evacuation centres."
Located about 330 kilometres (200 miles) southeast of Manila, Mayon has erupted 48 times in recorded history. In 1814, more than 1,200 people were killed when lava flows buried the town of Cagsawa.
Source: Yahoo! News
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