Volcanic ash is cleaned from planes at Manila Airport yesterday (Jan 12) evening after Taal began erupting.
The Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila has been closed to flights today (Jan 13) after ash drifted more than 100km from the site of the volcano into the capital Metro Manila region.
The volcano spewed thick plumes of ash in the sky forcing more than 8,000 people to be evacuated.
Taal is in the Batangas province, around 100km from the centre of Metro Manila, but even there, residents felt the effects of falling ash.
Clouds of ash in the immediate epicentre stretched 1km into the sky.
Authorities raised the alert level, warning that a ‘hazardous eruption’ was possible within weeks.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology warned residents living nearby of a possible ‘volcanic tsunami’.
Flights were suspended at Manila's international airport because of the volcanic ash.
