Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Welcome to Natural Hazards Forum. We hope you enjoy your visit.


You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
Philippine volcano survivor recalls 'scene from hell'
Topic Started: 9 May 2013, 02:11 AM (124 Views)
skibboy
Member Avatar

08 MAY 2013

Philippine volcano survivor recalls 'scene from hell'

Posted Image
Mount Mayon volcano spews a thick column of ash 500 metres (1,600 feet) into the air, as seen from the city of Legazpi, southeast of Manila, in a photo taken on May 7, 2013 and released by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

Posted Image
Nicanor Mabao Jr. (centre), one of the Filipino tour guides who survived an eruption of the Mayon volcano, is helped by rescuers in Albay province in the Philippines on May 7, 2013.

Posted Image
Filipino tour guide Keneth Gesalva, who survived after Mount Mayon spewed a thick column of ash 500 metres (1,600 feet) into the air, rests in a car in Legazpi, Albay province, on May 7, 2013.

AFP - Philippine tour guide Roel Llarena recalled Wednesday how a mountain hike turned into a nightmare when the volcano he was climbing began spewing out giant rocks, killing five of his companions.

"I stood there frozen. I couldn't believe what was happening, I didn't know what to do. It was like a scene from hell," he told AFP, after surviving the giant ash explosion at Mayon volcano on Tuesday.

Llarena, 33, was one of the Filipino tour guides leading a group of foreigners up the 2,460-metre (8,070-foot) Mayon when the picturesque volcano suddenly shot a column of hot ash into the air.

The volcano, famed for its near-perfect cone, has a history of deadly eruptions. But it was not showing signs of activity when the tour group ascended, leading many to think it was safe.

"The tourists were all very nice and we were exchanging stories with them the previous night. I can't believe this all happened, especially when the night before we were just all having fun," Llarena said by phone.

The group was climbing the mountain when rain started to pour down. Recognising the danger, Llarena and the others began to turn back only to see a column of ash shoot from the cone.

The hikers took cover behind a huge rock as boulders, some as large as minivans, began tumbling towards them and carried some people to their death.

Llarena said a fellow guide, Nicanor Mabao, saved an Austrian woman by grabbing her by her bag. But three Germans, a Spanish woman and a Filipino guide -- Llarena's brother-in-law -- were killed by the cascade of rocks.

Rescue teams recovered the five bodies but bad weather prevented helicopters from landing on the mountain and the body bags were carried down by hand.

A Thai tourist who went missing during the ash explosion was found with minor injuries on Tuesday, local officials said.

Volcanologists described the eruption as a 73-second "steam-driven minor explosion" that was not expected to be repeated anytime soon.

Chief state seismologist Renato Solidum said the explosion was triggered when the rainwater made contact with hot ash deposits on the crater mouth.

The province's governor Joey Salceda said some tourists were drawn to the volcano 330 kilometres (200 miles) southeast of Manila, because of the danger.

"Mayon volcano is an enigmatic personality. The more she does this, the more they will come. The more the danger, the more the tourists," he told reporters.

But Llarena will not be guiding them any more.

"After this I'm definitely not going back to Mayon. I curse Mayon volcano. I vow never to climb it again," he said.

Source: Posted Image
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
skibboy
Member Avatar

01 JUNE 2013

Expert warns of new activity at deadly Philippine volcano

Posted Image
Philippine military personnel carry a makeshift stretcher containing the dead body of one of the foreigners killed when Mayon volcano spewed ash and hail of rocks May 7, onto a waiting helicopter on May 9, 2013.

AFP - A Philippine volcano that killed five people last month in a huge ash explosion is showing renewed signs of activity, a government volcanologist warned Saturday.

The picturesque Mayon volcano is bulging near its edifice, emitting more gas, and has a noticeable glow at its cone, resident volcanologist Ed Laguerta said.

"Activity has slightly increased and if there is a further escalation, it would mean raising the alert level around the volcano," he said.

Mayon, one of the Philippines' most active volcanoes, spewed a giant ash cloud and hail of rocks on May 7, killing four foreign climbers and their Filipino guide.

While the volcano, located about 330 kilometres (200 miles) southeast of Manila, does not show signs of an imminent eruption, it could experience another ash explosion or even volcanic quakes that could endanger climbers.

"Even if there is no explosion, there may be rockfalls, rockslides from the quakes," Laguerta said.

Since the deaths last month, the local government has imposed climbing restrictions, but these rules are difficult to enforce, said Laguerta.

The 2,460-metre (8,070-foot) Mayon is famed for its near-perfect cone but has a long history of deadly eruptions.

In 1814, more than 1,200 people were killed when lava flows buried the town of Cagsawa.

The volcano erupted in August 2006.

There were no direct deaths caused by the explosion, but the following December a passing typhoon unleashed an avalanche of volcanic mud from its slopes that killed 1,000 people.

Source: Posted Image
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
« Previous Topic · Volcanic Eruptions · Next Topic »
Add Reply

Skin by OverTheBelow