Taal alert down to level 1, unrest remains: Phivolcs

MANILA - The alert on Taal Volcano was lowered another notch Thursday to the lowest level following decreased volcanic earthquakes and surface activity at the main crater, Phivolcs said.

The Alert Level 1 however is still an "abnormal condition" and "should not be interpreted that unrest has ceased or the threat of an eruption has disappeared," state seismologists said.

The alert level may be upgraded should parameters "forewarn of renewed unrest," they added.

Under alert level 1, sudden steam-driven eruptions, volcanic earthquakes, minor ashfall and volcanic gas expulsions may occur, Phivolcs said.

Entry into Taal's permanent danger zone, particularly the main crater and Daang Kastila fissure, must be strictly prohibited, the agency said.

Taal spewed ash and lava on Jan. 12 and 13 and was raised to the second-highest alert level 4, displacing tens of thousands and disrupting business in surrounding areas.

• Taal evacuees start returning to ash-coated homes as danger remains

A month later, it was downgraded to alert level 2 or "decreased unrest."

• Taal alert down to second lowest due to 'decreased unrest': Phivolcs

Set in the center of a lake 60 kilometers south of the capital, Taal left some P3.4 billion worth of damage in agriculture and infrastructure following its eruption, said the disaster agency.

• Lost and damaged: Taal volcano steals livelihoods

Taal, one of the most active volcanoes in the Philippines, has erupted more than 30 times in the past 5 centuries, most recently in 1977. An eruption of Taal in 1965 killed some 200 people.

-- With a report from Reuters