13 hours ago
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MANILA, Philippines — The eruption that took place over Taal Volcano on Thursday was several kilometers away from where the search and retrieval operations for the missing "sabungeros" (cockfight aficianados) at Taal Lake were taking place, the state seismology bureau said, as it gave the green light to the Philippine Coast Guard to continue its activity.
Ma. Antonia Bornas, Volcano Monitoring and Eruption Prediction Division chief, told The Manila Times that she talked to PCG authorities and assured them that the five-kilometer distance between the volcano's main crater and the PCG operations was safe.
The Phivolcs official said the southeast direction of the plume was opposite the direction or location of the retrieval operations which was northwest.
She added that the high-risk area for phreatic and phreatomagmatic eruptions was Taal Volcano Island.
Bornas said the 12-minute explosion, which occurred 3:01 p.m., has been urring since 2021.
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A whistleblower named Julie "Dondon" Patidongan came out last month and revealed that the 34 missing sabungeros were buried in Taal Lake.
Patidongan claimed he was one of six security guards accused of abducting the cockfighting enthusiasts.
