Iran announces arrests over plane crash as Rouhani warns those responsible will be punished - CNN

Gholamhossein Esmaili, the spokesman for Iran's judiciary, was quoted by the semi-official FARS news agency Tuesday as saying that an investigation into the crash had started and several arrests had been made. He did not provide details on how many people had been arrested or what their roles in the incident may have been.

Speaking in Tehran on Tuesday, Rouhani called for the punishment of those behind the downing of Ukraine International Airlines flight 752.

He said a special court with "a high-ranking judge and dozens of experts" should be established in order to investigate the incident. "This is not an ordinary case and all of world is looking at us," Rouhani said.

"I announce that we will do the follow up in order to detect all aspects of the event and punishing those responsible," the Iranian leader added.

After three days of denials, Iran admitted on Saturday that its military had mistakenly shot down the plane.

The admission sparked another wave of anti-government protests in Iran and appeared to expose a rift within the country's leadership.

While Tehran has rejected allegations that it tried to cover up the shooting down of the plane, the editor in chief of right-wing Tasnim news agency -- which is tied to the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps -- criticized Iran's leaders for attempting to lie to the public.

Around 30 people have been arrested for taking part in the latest round of protests, according to Esmaili, who described them Tuesday as illegal rallies that had put national security at risk.

"The government is accountable and we will fulfill our legal responsibilities but most importantly the people should be assured that such an event should not take place again," Rouhani said, expressing sympathies for the families of the victims. He added that the public deserved to know the details about the cause of the crash.

Iran's main insurance agency said the damages that should be paid for the crash could amount to $150 million, Iran's Press TV reported Monday.

All 176 people on board were killed when the Kiev-bound flight was shot down shortly after taking off from the Iranian capital early last Wednesday.

The passengers and crew included 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans and three British nationals, according to a tweet from Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko.

Leaders of the countries whose citizens were killed also called for those responsible to be held accountable.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada would ensure that "a full, transparent investigation is conducted."

"I want to assure all families and all Canadians -- we will not rest until there are answers. We will not rest until there is justice and accountability," Trudeau said at a vigil on Sunday.

The plane crash came shortly after Iran launched strikes on Iraqi bases housing US troops. Those strikes were retaliation after the US killed a top Iranian general on January 3.

Iran initially blamed a technical failure for the disaster. But as evidence mounted and western intelligence agencies started pointing fingers at Tehran, the government conceded the aircraft was shot down in an error.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif blamed "human error" prompted by "US adventurism," alluding to the escalating brinkmanship between Iran and the United States over the US killing of a revered Iranian commander, Qasem Soleimani.

Iran's semi-official news agency Tasnim reported Tuesday that Tehran is planning to file a criminal case against the US army, government and President Donald Trump in the international criminal court over Soleimani's death. According to Tasnim, Gholam Hossein Esmaeili, a spokesman for the Iranian judiciary, said that "there is no doubt that US military action was an act of terrorism."

"Trump personally has confessed ordering this criminal act and that is the strongest evidence that a court could have," Esmaeili said, according to the news agency.

Speaking at a news conference, Esmaeili also reportedly said the British ambassador to Tehran should be expelled from the country. It was unclear whether he was sharing his own opinion or if the Iranian government was moving ahead with the expulsion of ambassador Rob Macair.

Macair was briefly arrested in the middle of a crowd of protesters on Saturday in what the UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab then called a "flagrant violation of international law."

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2020-01-14 11:51:00Z
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Iran says arrests made after downing of Ukrainian plane that killed 176 on board - The Washington Post

Atta Kenare Afp Via Getty Images An Iranian cleric walks past a poster honoring the victims of a Ukrainian passenger jet accidentally shot down in the capital last week, Jan 13, 2020.

ISTANBUL — Iran said Tuesday that arrests had been made in the downing of a Ukrainian plane that Tehran admitted was mistakenly intercepted, as the president called for a special court to investigate the crash that set off days of anti-government protests.

Gholamhossein Esmaili, a spokesman for Iran’s judiciary, said Tuesday that “some individuals” had been arrested over the past three days after “extensive investigations,” but did not provide any detail about the identities of the suspects or say how many people had been detained.

The downing of the plane, which killed all 176 on board, last week occurred during a hair-trigger standoff between the United States and Iran, after a U.S. drone strike killed Iran’s powerful Quds Force commander, Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, earlier this month.

Tehran retaliated against the United States last Wednesday, firing more than a dozen ballistic missiles at facilities in Iraq hosting U.S. troops.

[Iranians are furious at their regime. But Trump still bans them.]

In the hours after those attacks, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 with a surface-to-air missile, a move it blamed on “human error.” Listed among the dead were 82 Iranians, 57 Canadians and 11 Ukrainians, including the crew. Most, if not all, of the Canadians were reported to be of Iranian origin or dual nationals.

Iranian officials initially denied reports that the plane was brought down but on Saturday admitted that the Revolutionary Guard, which maintains military bases in the area of the crash, had shot it down by mistake.

Over the next few days, protests flared on the streets of Tehran and other cities, led by students criticizing the missile strike and chanting rare denunciations of Iran’s leadership, forcing the government on the defensive.

In a speech on Tuesday, President Hassan Rouhani addressed the crash at length, calling for a special court “with a high-ranking judge and dozens of experts” to investigate. “This is not a normal case and the whole world will follow the case in our court,” he said, according to a transcript of his remarks posted on his official website.

“Our people know that this accident was the result of an error and mistake, but who was involved and what circumstances led to the accident?” he said, directing blame in part at the United States, who he said had “inflamed the atmosphere and made the situation abnormal, threatened and took our loved ones from us.”

“All of this is true, but it does not mean that we should not address all the root causes of the incident,” he added. “It is not just the one who pressed the button, but rather there are others, and I want this matter to be explained to people honestly.” Rouhani also appeared to fault military leaders for waiting days to announce that the plane had been shot down, and urged the authorities “to explain to the public the whole process.”

Read more

Iranians protest for third day over downed airliner amid reports of gunfire by security forces

‘Four embassies’: The anatomy of Trump’s unfounded claim about Iran

U.S. commanders at al-Asad base believe Iranian missile barrage was designed to kill

Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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2020-01-14 11:09:00Z
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Residents urged not to return home as Philippines volcano continues to spew ash, lava fountains - CNN

The Taal Volcano, about 37 miles (60 kilometers) south of the capital Manila on the island of Luzon, began erupting on Sunday, sending ash up to nine miles (14 kilometers) into the air and prompting warnings of a possible "explosive eruption" and large-scale evacuations.

As of Tuesday, almost 20,000 people from Batangas and Cavite provinces have sought shelter in 118 temporary evacuation centers set up by authorities. The total number of evacuees is likely to be higher, with some choosing to stay with family members and relatives in other parts of the country.

Officials, however, said a number of residents were beginning to return to their homes close to the volcano to tend farms, livestock or fetch personal belongings.

Many people depend on the lake and land around the volcano for their livelihood. Their dilemma is whether to risk their lives by returning or their primary sources of income by staying in a shelter for an unknown period of time.

"If you were this person and think 'well all I know for sure is I have three cows, seven goats and some soy beans and I don't go back and take care of them, I know I'm screwed,' than someone telling you to stay away for two weeks and maybe nothing happens -- you're in trouble anyway," said Joseph Michalski, director of the Earth and Planetary Science division at the University of Hong Kong.

There are two concentric zones of concern around the volcano. Around 459,000 people reside within a dangerous zone within a 14-kilometer (8.6 miles) radius around the volcano, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), while more than 930,000 people live in a wider 17-kilometer (10.5 miles) danger zone.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) has requested a "total evacuation" of everyone within the larger 17-kilometer (10.5 miles) radius around the volcano.

Mariton Bornas, chief of volcano monitoring and eruption at PHIVOLCS said residents within the immediate radius would be at risk of tremors, fissures and the threat of a sudden pyroclastic flow.

The institute recorded 335 earthquakes in the area of the volcano since Sunday and said more activity is expected in the next few days.

"These new strong, continuous earthquakes that we are now experiencing are due to fissuring, which means that there really is magma that is still making its way out of Taal," Bornas said.

"PHIVOCS strongly reiterates the need for the evacuation of Volcano Island, Taal Lake and the high-risk areas surrounding the volcano ... located within the immediate 14-kilometer radius from the main crater," she continued.

Eruption difficult to predict

Activity at the volcano continued through Tuesday. Lava fountains generated dark gray steam-laden plumes that reached 800 meters (2,624 feet) high, according to the institute. Volcanic lightening was also visible.

PHIVOLCS said that new vents had opened up on the volcano's northern flank and fresh ashfall had landed on nearby towns.

Photos from the eruption show ash mixing with rain, creating a thick black sludge that blanketed cars, streets, and homes in some towns. Ash is even heavier than snow, meaning excessive pile-ups, especially when mixed with rain, can cause roofs to collapse.

In a briefing with the media on Tuesday, PHIVOLCS director Renato Solidum said they cannot definitively tell when the eruptions will stop.

The alert level for the volcano remains at four, meaning an "explosive eruption" could happen in the coming hours or days. Its highest alert level is five, indicating an eruption is taking place.

But predicting what will happen, or when, is fraught with difficulty. When the Taal Volcano erupted in 1754 it lasted six months. The deadliest eruption took 1,335 lives in 1911, and it lasted a few days.

"There is no smoking gun or mathematic indicator of if a volcano erupts or when," said Michalski of Hong Kong University.

Signals that eruptions are imminent or that there is activity going on include the frequency, location and depth of earthquakes, the water temperature of the lake increasing, and gas released from cracks or fissures.

"All these things, these activity increases, tell you that -- man, I'm getting out of here. Something is happening. But none of this says exactly what will happen in exactly what time frame," Michalski continued.

Ghost towns filled with ash

Federal authorities are helping the response and evacuation operation. The army sent 20 military vehicles and 120 personnel to help affected residents, and the secretary of national defense said helicopters were on standby to evacuate people.

Aid organizations like the Red Cross are assisting on the ground by sending rescue vehicles and supplies.

Richard Gordon, Chairman of the Philippine Red Cross said evacuated areas look like "ghost towns" with houses "filled with ash."

"There's been some rain, many have collapsed already," Gordon said. "If you live in the area you'd probably be terrified."

In Batangas and Cavite towns, power is down due to heavy ash collecting on the electricity lines and there is no fresh water, Gordon said.

Evacuation centers include basketball courts, gyms and schools and are not designed for large-scale evacuations.

Red Cross teams on the ground are working to provide water tankers, ambulances, hot meal vans, and masks, as well as providing psychological support and setting up 70-bed wards in heavily affected areas to care for people with respiratory problems caused by the ash.

"The situation there is very dusty, and certainly it gets into your lungs and can create long-term damage," said Gordon. "We are advising people to close their windows with a damp cloth. People with respiratory illness or cardiovascular problems, they should move far away from the volcano to Manila or other provinces."

The ash fall has also damaged crops in the area such as corn and coffee, and continues to threaten fish stocks, said Agriculture Secretary William Dar. Batangas province supplies Metro Manila with 40% of its harvest of fish, including tawilis or "live sardines" only found in the province.

A potential eruption could also bring long-term consequences for the area's economy.

The volcano is surrounded by a lake, which is a popular attraction -- meaning many of the towns in the vicinity are tourism hot spots. There are several amusement parks, lakeside resorts and yacht clubs within the 17-kilometer zone.

The holiday town of Tagaytay, which lies close to the water's edge, is a popular getaway for Manila residents who often take boats onto the lake and hike up the volcano.

On Sunday, the volcanic ash spread as far as Quezon City north of Manila, prompting the suspension of all flights at the capital's international airport. By Tuesday, normal operations resumed, according to the airport's general manager Ed Monreal, though it's possible flights may be suspended again if Taal's activity increases.

The airport remains congested with people trying to get on flights, Monreal added.

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2020-01-14 10:49:00Z
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Iran announces first arrests in downing of Ukrainian airliner - Al Jazeera English

Iran's judiciary has announced the arrests of an unspecified number of suspects in the accidental downing of a commercial passenger jet during a major confrontation with the United States last week.

In comments carried by state media, spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said on Tuesday that "extensive investigations have taken place and some individuals are arrested". He did not offer additional details.

More:

Wednesday's downing of the Ukrainian airliner, en route to Kyiv from Tehran, killed all 176 passengers and crew on board. It happened just hours after Iran launched missile attacks on US targets in Iraq in retaliation for the US assassination of top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad on January 3.

After days of denials, Iran on Saturday admitted that its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had shot down the plane in a "disastrous mistake", saying air defences were fired in error while on alert after the attacks against two Iraqi bases hosting US troops. US President Donald Trump had previously threatened to strike 52 targets within Iran if Tehran targeted US citizens or assets following Soleimani's killing.

Iran's acknowledgement of the shootdown and the lack of transparency around it triggered protests in Tehran and elsewhere, with hundreds of people taking to the streets to direct their ire towards senior officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, amid allegations of being misled.

Videos posted on social media that could not be verified immediately appeared to show security forces firing live ammunition and tear gas to disperse protesters. The government has denied a cover-up and police rejected reports that it had opened fire at demonstrators.

Rouhani calls for special court

In a televised address on Tuesday, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani promised a thorough investigation into the "unforgivable error" of shooting down the plane, the latest in a series of apologies from a leadership grappling with public anger.

Rouhani called for a special court to be set up with a ranking judge and dozens of experts to investigate the "tragic event".

"This is not an ordinary case. The entire world will be watching this court," Rouhani said, adding that everyone responsible in the accident must be punished.

"For our people, it is very important in this incident that whoever was at fault or negligent at any level" faces justice, Rouhani said. "Anyone who should be punished must be punished."

The president called the government's admission that Iranian forces shot down the plane the "first good step".

"We should assure people that it will not happen again," Rouhani said, adding that his government was "accountable to Iranian and other nations who lost lives in the plane crash".

Al Jazeera's Assed Baig, reporting from Tehran, said Rouhani's comments were "a watershed moment in this country because people aren't used to the military and state institutions taking state responsibility and accepting that they are wrong".

Baig added that Rouhani mentioned that the downing of the plane was not the fault of just one person operating the air defence system - rather, there were many issues involved.

"He also said that ultimately it's the US that's responsible for the heightened level of tension, again referring to Trump's threat to target 52 sites but added that this isn't an excuse for the military and other people," Baig said.

Most of those on board the flight were Iranians or dual nationals. Canada, Ukraine, Britain and other nations who had citizens on the plane have scheduled a meeting on Thursday in London to consider legal action against Tehran.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies

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2020-01-14 09:49:00Z
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Residents urged not to return home as Philippines volcano continues to spew ash, lava fountains - CNN

The Taal Volcano, about 37 miles (60 kilometers) south of the capital Manila on the island of Luzon, began erupting on Sunday, sending ash up to nine miles (14 kilometers) into the air and prompting warnings of a possible "explosive eruption" and large-scale evacuations.

As of Tuesday, almost 20,000 people from Batangas and Cavite provinces have sought shelter in 118 temporary evacuation centers set up by the authorities. But officials said some people were returning to their homes close to the volcano to tend farms, livestock or fetch personal belongings.

Many people depend on the lake and land around the volcano for their livelihood. Their dilemma is whether to risk their lives by returning or their livelihoods by staying in a shelter for an unknown period of time.

"If you were this person and think 'well all I know for sure is I have three cows, seven goats and some soy beans and I don't go back and take care of them, I know I'm screwed,' than someone telling you to stay away for two weeks and maybe nothing happens -- you're in trouble anyway," said Joseph Michalski, director of the Earth and Planetary Science division at the University of Hong Kong.

There are two concentric zones of concern around the volcano. Around 459,000 people reside within a dangerous zone with a 14-kilometer (8.6 miles) radius around the volcano, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), while more than 930,000 people live in a wider 17-kilometer (10.5 miles) danger zone.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) has requested a "total evacuation" of everyone within the larger 17-kilometer (10.5 miles) radius around the volcano.

Mariton Bornas, chief of volcano monitoring and eruption at PHIVOLCS said residents within the immediate radius would be at risk of tremors, fissures and the threat of a sudden pyroclastic flow.

The institute recorded 335 earthquakes in the area of the volcano since Sunday and said more activity is expected in the next few days.

"These new strong, continuous earthquakes that we are now experiencing are due to fissuring, which means that there really is magma that is still making its way out of Taal," Bornas said.

"PHIVOCS strongly reiterates the need for the evacuation of Volcano Island, Taal Lake and the high-risk areas surrounding the volcano ... located within the immediate 14 kilometer radius from the main crater," she continued.

Eruption difficult to predict

Activity at the volcano continued through Tuesday. Lava fountains generated dark gray steam-laden plumes that reached 800 meters (2624 feet) high, according to the institute. Volcanic lightening was also visible.

PHIVOLCS said that new vents had opened up on the volcano's northern flank and fresh ashfall had landed on nearby towns.

Photos from the eruption show ash mixing with rain, creating a thick black sludge that blanketed cars, streets, and homes in some towns. Ash is even heavier than snow, meaning excessive pile-ups, especially when mixed with rain, can cause roofs to collapse.

In a briefing with the media on Tuesday, Director of PHIVOLCS Renato Solidum said they cannot definitively tell when the eruptions will stop.

The alert level for the volcano remains at four, meaning an "explosive eruption" could happen in the coming hours or days. Its highest alert level is five, indicating an eruption is taking place.

But predicting what will happen, or when, is fraught with difficulty. When the Taal Volcano erupted in 1754 it lasted six months. The deadliest eruption took 1,335 lives in 1911, and it lasted a few days.

"There is no smoking gun or mathematic indicator of if a volcano erupts or when," said Michalski of Hong Kong University.

Signals that eruptions are imminent or that there is activity going on include the frequency, location and depth of earthquakes, the water temperature of the lake increasing, and gas released from cracks or fissures.

"All these things, these activity increases, tell you that -- man, I'm getting out of here. Something is happening. But none of this says exactly what will happen in exactly what time frame," Michalski continued.

Ghost towns filled with ash

Federal authorities are helping the response and evacuation operation. The army sent 20 military vehicles and 120 personnel to help affected residents, and the secretary of national defense said helicopters were on standby to evacuate people.

Aid organizations like the Red Cross are assisting on the ground by sending rescue vehicles and supplies.

Richard Gordon, Chairman of the Philippine Red Cross said evacuated areas look like "ghost towns" with houses "filled with ash."

"There's been some rain, many have collapsed already," Gordon said. "If you live in the area you'd probably be terrified."

In Batangas and Cavite towns, power is down due to heavy ash collecting on the electricity lines and there is no fresh water, Gordon said.

Evacuation centers include basketball courts, gyms and schools and are not designed for large-scale evacuations.

Red Cross teams on the ground are working to provide water tankers, ambulances, hotmeal vans, and masks, as well as providing psychological support and setting up 70-bed wards in heavily affected areas to care for people with respiratory problems caused by the ash.

"The situation there is very dusty, and certainly it gets into your lungs and can create long term damage," said Gordon. "We are advising people to close their windows with a damp cloth. People with respiratory illness or cardiovascular problems, they should move far away from the volcano to Manila or other provinces."

The ash fall has also damaged crops in the area such as corn and coffee, and continues to threaten fish stocks, said Agriculture Secretary William Dar. Batangas province supplies Metro Manila 40% of its harvest of fish, including tawilis or "live sardines" only found in the province.

A potential eruption could also bring long-term consequences for the area's economy.

The volcano is surrounded by a lake, which is a popular attraction -- meaning many of the towns in the vicinity are tourism hot spots. There are several amusement parks, lakeside resorts and yacht clubs within 17-kilometer zone.

The holiday town of Tagaytay, which lies close to the water's edge, is a popular getaway for Manila residents who often take boats onto the lake and hike up the volcano.

On Sunday, the volcanic ash spread as far as Quezon City north of Manila, prompting the suspension of all flights at the capital's international airport. By Tuesday, normal operations resumed, according to Airport General Manager Ed Monreal, though it's possible flights may be suspended again if Taal's activity increases.

The airport remains congested with people trying to get on flights, Monreal added.

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2020-01-14 07:04:00Z
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Prince Harry and Prince William say bullying story is false - CNN

In a joint statement sent to CNN, spokespeople for the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of Cambridge said: "Despite clear denials, a false story ran in a UK newspaper today speculating about the relationship between the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of Cambridge."

"For brothers who care so deeply about the issues surrounding mental health, the use of inflammatory language in this way is offensive and potentially harmful," the statement said.

It followed a story in the Times of London on Monday, reporting that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Meghan and Harry, felt "pushed away" by William's "bullying attitude."

The article suggested the brothers "fell out because William wasn't friendly towards Meghan" and that the Sussexes were "constantly being bullied."

Harry and Meghan shocked the world and "disappointed" the rest of the royal family last week when they announced they would be scaling back their official duties to pursue their private interests.

They added that they wanted to work towards becoming financially independent.

Royal sources have told CNN it wasn't the decision itself but the timing of their announcement that left senior members of the family feeling hurt.

Queen Elizabeth II, Harry's grandmother, had expressly asked the prince to hold off releasing any statements regarding the couple's future, CNN understands.

The royal family is set to hold a summit Monday to discuss Harry and Meghan's future, a palace source told CNN on Saturday.

The Queen, Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry will all attend the meeting at Sandringham, the Queen's country estate in rural Norfolk, about 100 miles north of London.

Meghan, who has returned to Canada -- where the couple and their baby son Archie spent the Christmas holidays -- is expected to call in. It's unclear when she will return to the UK.

The summit will be the first time the senior royals have met since the Sussexes made their announcement on Wednesday.

In spite of the way it has unfolded, the couple's decision to step back from senior royal duties is not that surprising. While it may have come as something of a bombshell to casual observers, the writing had been on the wall for some time.

Harry and Meghan have both spoken previously about the toll public scrutiny has taken on them. Harry also flagged up the possibility of living abroad during the couple's controversial TV documentary, which aired in October.

Ivana Kottasová contributed to this article.

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2020-01-13 12:38:00Z
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Taal volcano eruption forces thousands to seek safer ground in the Philippines - The Washington Post

Taal Volcano in the Philippines, south of Manila, erupted Jan. 12. Videos posted on social media that day showed smoke and ash filling the sky.

MANILA — An erupting volcano spewed lava into the air and spread ash across the Philippines on Monday, as desperate residents packed up their belongings and waited for help, while others fled so quickly they left behind their sandals.

In one town, officials had to abandon evacuation centers and rework their plans after its location was deemed too risky.

Thousands have sought safer ground as the Taal volcano erupts for the first time since 1977, blowing clouds of ash as far away as Manila, 60 miles to the north. Officials have warned that the volcano, which sits on an island in a lake and is among the Philippines’ most active, could reach a hazardous “Level 5” incident — involving an ongoing magma eruption — within hours or days.

The volcano’s ructions intensified on Sunday, prompting the provincial government in Batangas to declare a state of calamity. There have been no reports of casualties so far.

Manila’s airport resumed partial operations on Monday after being closed for about a day, affecting hundreds of flights.

[Taal volcano spews ash; Philippines evacuating residents, watching for tsunami]

In the lakeside town of Taal, where a mandatory evacuation order is in force, Mayor Pong Mercado said Monday his government had to abandon 11 evacuation centers and move to a larger city as it was too close to the volcano. Under a gray sky and with frequent tremors jolting the ground, many residents gathered their belongings and waited to be rescued.

“The traffic [is at] a turtle’s pace because of the ashfall. It’s thick, almost zero visibility,” said Mercado. “It’s okay for now because it’s daytime — it will be harder to see at night.”

Evacuees without cars were making their way out by foot on muddy roads, their children and pets in tow. Some also ushered out their livestock, while farmers lamented to the local press that the loss of their animals would affect their livelihood.

Eloisa Lopez

Reuters

Residents living near the erupting Taal volcano evacuate in Agoncillo, Batangas City, Philippines, on Monday.

At a school-turned-shelter in the town of Bauan, church volunteer Gia Pauline Fabie, 24, estimated that more than 60 evacuees had arrived, some from Taal. She said there were a lot of children — one of whom she noticed had lost a flip-flop during the rush of evacuation.

“When they arrived, the first thing they asked for were toiletries because they wanted to take a bath,” said Fabie.

Church workers were scouring the town and collecting people without anywhere else to stay the night.

Taal is among more than 20 active volcanoes in the Philippines, which sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire. According to the NASA Earth Observatory, Taal consists of multiple stratovolcanoes. Its primary feature is the three-mile-wide Volcano Island, which has 47 craters and is surrounded by water.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said magma eruptions occurred in the volcano early Monday, characterized by a lava fountain, lightning and thunder. The volcano produced at least 75 earthquakes.

Ezra Acayan

AFP/Getty Images

Vehicles covered in volcanic ash are seen Monday in Lemery, Batangas province, Philippines. Authorities have warned that a hazardous eruption is possible.

The eruption interrupted wedding celebrations in Tagaytay City, a hilltop tourist destination that overlooks the lake, making it a popular spot for couples to tie the knot.

John Dan Ramos, 25, was attending his cousin’s wedding on Sunday when the guests noticed the column of ash rising in the distance. By the time the wedding ended, about 200 guests found themselves stranded for the night, worried that the ashfall would make it perilous to leave. They ate leftovers and picked their own spots to rest.

“I slept under a table. It was to each his own,” said Ramos.

On Monday, with earthquakes increasing, they knew they had to flee. Ramos and his cousins managed to get out by car, navigating steep and slippery roads, he said.

At the lakeside town of Talisay, roughly 15 minutes by boat from the island where the volcano lies, Mariel Ann Gabales, 30, managed to leave late Sunday local time. She and about 10 others, including her grandparents and cousins, got into a van sent by relatives. Clutching packed clothes and their three dogs, they arrived in Lipa City past midnight after a three-hour journey.

Electricity was out, and it was raining. Gabales said they drove slowly through the dark along slippery roads, but noted the sense of community as people tried to help each other.

“The windshields were covered [with ash] — and a lot of strangers would pour and spray water on them to help,” she said.

But she heard from friends in the area that many residents had stayed behind, worried about their houses.

“You know how some old [people] can be. Sometimes their houses are more important than their lives,” she said. “I hope they get rescued right away.”

Eloisa Lopez

Reuters

Residents look at the erupting Taal Volcano in Tagaytay City, Philippines, on Monday.

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https://news.google.com/__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_b3V0cHV0VHlwZT1hbXA?oc=5

2020-01-13 11:04:00Z
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