Luzon, Jan 22: The Mayon volcano here in Philippines Albay province finally exploded on Monday, sending molten lava, steam and stones up to a height of 1.8-km in the sky. The lava gently cascaded down the Mount Mayon, compelling the locals to rush back to the shelter homes.

According to the Philippine Institute of Seismology and Volcanology, at least four villages in the vicinity turned dark with the sky being occupied with steam and lava particles, blocking the sun rays.

Over 20,000 villagers have rushed to the shelter homes in the nearby Legazpi city, which is out of the danger zone, Philippine Institute of Seismology and Volcanology said.

Ahead of the volcanic eruption, the threat level was raised to four on a scale of five by the authorities. The 8-km radius around Mayon, instead of the earlier radius of 5-km, was brought into the high-level alert categories, forcing more people out of their homes to the shelter centres.

According to reports, nearly 30,000 refugees shifted to the Legazpi shelter home today, where only 12,000 were staying till Sunday.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 22, 2018 07:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).