Albay authorities reported that 2,041 residents had been evacuated by 5 p.m. on 30 October after a moderately explosive eruption at Mayon Volcano prompted an increase to Alert Level 3. The provincial government ordered mandatory pre-emptive evacuations from the six-kilometre danger zone following the change in alert status.
The eruption occurred at 11:53 a.m. local time on 30 October 2026, producing a dense, rapidly ascending and billowing ash plume that rose about 3,000 metres above the summit crater. Moderate winds dispersed the plume west-southwest, according to the formal bulletin.
The official alert was raised at 12:30 p.m. from Level 2, described as decreased unrest, to Level 3, indicating an increased tendency towards a hazardous eruption. An update published on 31 October said Level 3 remained in effect.
The monitoring agency assessed the eruption as a new phase of magmatic eruption. It said this increased the chances of lava flows and hazardous pyroclastic density currents affecting Mayon’s upper to middle slopes in the immediate days to weeks. That assessment describes an increased risk, rather than a prediction that those hazards will occur.
A pyroclastic density current is a fast-moving, extremely hot flow of volcanic gas, ash and rock fragments. Other hazards named in the official alert included rockfalls, lahars and sediment-laden streamflows in channels draining the volcano. The guidance called for increased vigilance along those drainage channels.
Reported monitoring figures for the 24 hours ending at midnight before the eruption day showed 101 volcanic earthquakes, including 18 volcanic tremors lasting between one and eight minutes. Those figures provide context for activity recorded before the eruption; they do not establish a causal explanation for it.
Evacuations and local restrictions
Local authorities initially began moving residents in Camalig, Malilipot and Tabaco City after the provincial evacuation order. The official guidance recommended evacuation of the six-kilometre-radius Permanent Danger Zone, and authorities barred activity within that area.
In its later update, the provincial emergency-management office said 746 families, comprising 2,041 residents, had been evacuated by 5 p.m. The reported total covered Tabaco City, Camalig and Barangay Baligang in Ligao City.
The breakdown listed 531 evacuated families in Tabaco City, 205 in Camalig and 10 in Ligao City. Other local authorities around the volcano were monitoring conditions and standing by for possible evacuations.
The provincial disaster operation centre was placed on red alert to maintain continuous monitoring and coordination with local authorities and response clusters. The provincial governor also suspended classes at all levels in public and private schools.
The initial provincial response report said the Mayon Skyline was closed until further notice. All-terrain vehicle rides were limited to the Cagsawa Ruins area, alongside the wider prohibition on activity inside the six-kilometre danger zone.
Ashfall warnings and health response
The formal bulletin said ashfall was expected in Daraga, Camalig, Guinobatan and adjacent Albay municipalities as the plume was dispersed west-southwest. It separately warned that ashfall events could be most likely on the volcano’s southern side under the prevailing wind pattern.
The provincial health office reported distributing 22,000 surgical masks to health facilities and local authorities in response to possible ash inhalation. An earlier update recorded an initial delivery of 4,000 masks to Camalig and Guinobatan; the figures describe successive stages of the response.
Local responders in Guinobatan carried out ash-cleaning operations, according to the initial provincial response report. The ashfall warnings accompanied the evacuation measures and restrictions introduced after the alert was raised.
Official guidance also advised civil aviation authorities and pilots to avoid the summit, warning that ash from a sudden eruption can endanger aircraft. With Level 3 still in effect in the 31 October update, the alert continued to indicate an increased tendency towards a hazardous eruption.
