Napakahabang bitak mula sa kalsada patungo sa dagat, lumitaw sa Brgy. Sinisian East, Lemery, Batangas; 20 bahay, nawasak | via @Dennis_Datu #TaalVolcano pic.twitter.com/d6eo2u2yxJ

— DZMM TeleRadyo (@DZMMTeleRadyo) January 14, 2020

LEMERY, Batangas — A crack in the road about 3 kilometers long opened along a national highway and damaged several houses here on Tuesday, as Taal Volcano threatened to erupt.

The crack in Barangay Sinisian East was first spotted by authorities on Monday, a day after Taal belched an ash column that reached Metro Manila, said village chairwoman Teresa Atienza.

But after several quakes spawned by the volcano, the crack lengthened Tuesday, from a mountainous area to a seaside residential area, where it damaged at least 20 houses, she said.

• Mudflows, fissuring, quakes: Phivolcs urges public to keep away from volcano

Several cracks extended from the main feature, lifting the road's asphalt in some areas, video from ABS-CBN News showed.

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State seismology institute Phivolcs has yet to check the cracks, as of this posting, Atienza said. She also urged motorists to avoid the area.

Taal, which sits in the center of a picturesque lake south of the capital, is under the second highest danger level, which means a "hazardous explosive eruption is possible within hours to days," said Phivolcs.