The suspension was supposed to last for afew hours, but the next announcement said that the flights will be halted untilfurther notice.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology andSeismology (Phivolcs) the same day raised alert level from 4 to 5, the highestone, over fear that the volcano would erupt in upcoming hours or days.Thousands of people living near the volcano were urged to evacuate. 

Earlier, Taal volcano in Batangas province,which is about 90km south of Manila, spewed steam and an ash column measuring1km in height. A number of earthquakes of magnitude 1 and 3 were recorded,shaking some nearby villages.

Taal is the second strongest volcano in thePhilippines which erupted on 33 occasions, and the most recent one in 1977.Phivolcs has recorded moderate to high level of seismic activity at Taalvolcano since March 28, 2019.

As the smallest volcano of the world, italso attracts various tourists thanks to scenic landscapes./.VNA