A volcanic lightning caused by eruption is seen over Tagaytay City, Cavite province, Philippines January 12, 2020 in this picture obtained from social media. (@DERRICKQUIBAEL/via REUTERS)
MANILA: Schools and businesses shut across the Philippine capital on Monday as a volcano belched clouds of ash across the city and seismologists warned an eruption could happen at any time, potentially triggering a tsunami.
Thousands of people were forced to evacuate their homes around Taal, one of the world's smallest active volcanoes, which spewed ash for a second day from its crater in the middle of a lake about 70 km (45 miles) south of central Manila.
"The speed of escalation of Taal's volcanic activity caught us by surprise," Maria Antonia Bornas, chief science research specialist at the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, told reporters.
"We have detected magma. It's still deep, it hasn't reached the surface. We still can expect a hazardous eruption any time."