Mayon Volcano in the Philippine province of Albay came back to life Tuesday, spewing volcanic rocks and ash that killed at least five climbers and injured seven more, government officials said.
Four of the fatalities were visitors from Europe, crushed by large rocks triggered by the volcanic explosion, Albay Governor Joey Salceda said.
The fifth fatality was their Filipino tour guide, identified in a police report as Jerome Berin, according to a report by GMA News.
The other fatalities were reported as German nationals, though their identities were not immediately available.
Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro, head of the Office of Civil Defense in Bicol, said the foreign nationals and their guide were about half a kilometer away from the volcano's crater when the explosion occurred around 8 a.m.
"Their target is the crater... according to a guard, there was tremor and the five fell into a ravine that is estimated to be 1,000 feet deep," he was quoted saying my GMA News.
Alejandro said those injured were with two other groups of hikers. "Their injuries are only minor, some of them only sustained bruises," he said.
At the time of this report, a rescue team was on its way up the volcano to rescue the hikers, who were unable to return on the own.
Despite the recorded casualties, however, the alert level for Mount Mayon was not raised, he said.
Earlier, Albay-based radioman Lito Sanchez quoted a local tourist guide, Kenneth Jesalva, as saying a foreigner and a local tourist may have suffocated after being caught near the explosion.
Cedric Daep, head of Albay's Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said his agency had received "unconfirmed" reports that some people had climbed the volcano.
The volcano's phreatic (steam-driven) explosion occurred at 8 a.m., with the steam reaching 500 meters above the summit and drifting east.
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