Mount Mayon’s eruption early Tuesday killed four German tourists and a Filipino guide. Local authorities said the Germans were part of a larger group that was hiking on Mount Mayon when the eruption occurred around 8 a.m. local time.
The 8,070-foot mountain is located in Albay Province about 212 miles southeast of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, a combination of smoke, ash and molten rock shot about 1,600 feet into the air. The mixture came down on the group of 27 hikers, killing the guide and four Germans. At least 8 other people were injured.
"The injured are all foreigners ... They cannot walk. If you can imagine, the boulders there are as big as cars,” said Albay provincial Gov. Joey Salceda. "Some of them slid and rolled down. We will rappel the rescue team, and we will rappel them up again.”
Mayon, one of the most active volcanoes in the Philippines, has erupted about 48 times. The last eruption occurred in 2010 and prompted thousands of residents to leave their homes for safer ground. No evacuations were ordered after Tuesday’s eruption, but authorities warned residents to remain outside a 4 mile zone around Mount Mayon.
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