The Philippine government has begun the evacuation of nearly 50,000 people living within the five-mile radius of Mount Mayon in Albay as it started spewing out ash and lava earlier this week.

Mount Mayon, one of the most active volcanoes in the Philippines, began releasing lava early this week and continues to show an increase in activity. Volcanologists warned that a major eruption may occur in the next few days.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology head Renato Solidum said, “Magma had been rising at the volcano for the past two weeks and the situation could worsen over coming days. Now lava is trickling down, but if the ascent of magma is sustained there will be lava flows. There is also the possibility of an explosion.”

The institute has raised the alert level to three. A level four alert means an eruption is about to happen, while a level five means an eruption is happening.

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