Philippine volcano on verge of eruption

BICOL, Philippines, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- The Mayon volcano in the Philippines appeared on the verge of a possibly hazardous eruption, experts said Thursday.

Renato Solidum Jr., director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, said the alert level was expected to rise from "3" to"4."

A "4" is characterized by an imminent hazardous eruption, marked by the volcano's intensifying unrest, Solidum said. This includes persistent tremor and many low frequency-type earthquakes while spewing lava and ash in the Bicol area, GMA News reported.

But, Solidum said any eruption would not be expected to be as destructive as the 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption that struck Central Luzon and covered part of metropolitan Manila in ash.