Mayon Volcano Erupts, Sending Ash Plume 3 Kilometres High

Mayon Volcano in Albay, the Philippines, erupted moderately explosively on Friday, 30 October 2026. The eruption began at 11:53 a.m. and lasted nearly six minutes, sending a grey ash plume 3,000 metres above the summit crater.

Eruption and safety measures

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) raised the alert from Level 2 to Level 3, indicating a new phase of magmatic eruption. It said the likelihood of lava flows and hazardous pyroclastic density currents affecting the volcano’s upper to middle slopes could increase over the coming days to weeks.

The plume drifted west-southwest, with ashfall expected in Daraga, Guinobatan, Camalig and nearby Albay municipalities. PHIVOLCS recommended evacuating residents within the six-kilometre Permanent Danger Zone because of possible pyroclastic density currents, lava flows and rockfalls.

On the morning of 31 October, another ash emission rose up to 200 metres above the crater and drifted west-southwest. Authorities advised civil aviation to avoid flying close to the summit because of volcanic ash.