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Bloomberg
A lock-down is being implemented by police in three towns in the Philippines near an erupting volcano, 40 miles (65 kilometres) south of capital Manila, to prevent residents from returning home as heavy ash fall and tremors continue in the area.
More than 38,000 persons are currently staying in evacuation centres due to the Taal volcano’s eruption, the disaster management agency said in a report on Tuesday. Farm damage from the eruption, including rice, corn, coffee, cacao and bananas, has reached 577.59 million pesos ($11.4 million), the Agriculture Department said. Mass fish deaths are expected in the lake surrounding the volcano because of toxic sulfur levels.
A hazardous explosive eruption remains possible within hours or days, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in its latest report on Tuesday. New cracks were observed in nearby towns  — a sign that magma could be rising from underground, the agency’s chief Renato Solidum said.