Joggers in the Philippines were forced to flee for their lives after a giant ash cloud suddenly raced toward them following a partial collapse at the Mayon Volcano. The dramatic incident occurred in Legazpi City over the weekend, with footage capturing the moment a huge wall of thick black smoke rolled across the road as runners desperately tried to escape.
The video initially showed the group laughing and filming before panic set in as the ash cloud drew closer. Kenneth Urbano, 27, one of the runners, described the terrifying experience. He said he was preparing to go for a run with friends when they noticed what appeared to be a small white cloud near the foot of the volcano, but within seconds, the situation took a dramatic turn.
"Just before we began, I noticed a small white cloud creeping down the foot of the volcano, but I didn't think much of it," Kenneth told local media. As the group reached the other side of the bypass road, they suddenly spotted a huge cloud rapidly moving toward them. "When we reached the other side of the bypass road, we suddenly saw a massive wall of thick black smoke," he recalled.
"We even stopped to take photos, but then I noticed on my right that the smoke was slowly moving toward us. That's when it hit us - this wasn't normal smoke. It was ashfall from the collapsed dome of Mayon Volcano."
The group managed to escape moments before the ash cloud engulfed the area after a passing driver stopped to help and drove them to safety. Kenneth described the experience as a mix of emotions. "We were laughing and not taking it seriously at first, but we quickly became serious while staying calm enough to think logically in an emergency," he added.
Authorities said they are continuing to monitor activity around the Mayon volcano after around 200,000 people in more than 120 villages in the north-east of the Philippines were affected. At least 5,400 people fled from the massive plumes of ash. There was no explosive eruption from Mayon, which has been erupting mildly on and off since January. However, huge deposits of lava on its south-western slope suddenly cascaded down in a pyroclastic flow - an avalanche of hot rocks, ash and gas - before nightfall on Saturday, said Teresito Bacolcol, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.
No deaths or injuries were reported, but massive clouds of ash scattered over 124 villages, mostly in Albay province, catching many by surprise and slowing down motorists due to poor visibility, officials said.
