PhotoMANILA — Philippine officials raised the alert level on the Mayon volcano on Monday as it began spewing an ash plume more than 4,000 feet high from its summit in a spectacular show of destructive power. The volcano generated up to 1,600 feet of lava fountains before dawn Monday, lighting up the dark sky with an intense crimson glow. At least two nearby villages experienced ash fall, the volcano institute said. With an elevation of 8,077 feet at its summit, Mayon, about 200 miles southeast of Manila in Albay Province, is the most active volcano in the archipelagic Philippines. It began spewing ash, rocks and mud on Jan. 13, and the eruption has been attracting hundreds of tourists to the region.

Source: New York Times January 22, 2018 08:48 UTC