Volcano rumblings in Philippines cover surrounding area in ash

A volcano in the Philippines’s Batangas province, about 45 miles south of Manila, is spewing lava and has covered the surrounding area with a dense layer of ash.

Authorities in the region are predicting a significant eruption soon at the Taal volcano and have ordered evacuations for everyone within 8.7 miles of the volcano, which is considered the danger zone.

Officials have estimated that about 460,000 people are within the evacuation zone. As of Monday, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that more than 24,500 people have been relocated to 75 evacuation centers.

Fissures near the volcano have been reported by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, with an increase in volcanic earthquakes signaling a potential eruption within days.

Images from the evacuation zone have shown villages covered in ash, transforming the tropical area into a gray landscape.