Philippines' most active volcano continues to spew lava and ash

The Philippines' most active volcano has been at it again.

Mayon continued to spew lava and ash early Tuesday morning, only a day after the volcano's eruption forced thousands of residents around the area to evacuate.

From Monday evening to dawn on Tuesday, lava fountains reached up to 700 metres (2,296 feet) high as ash plumes reached up to 3 kilometres (3,280 yards) above the crater, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

At midday Monday, a 5-kilometre-tall ash column from an explosive eruption prompted authorities to upgrade the alert level to 4, the second-highest on the scale. The no-entry danger zone was also expanded to 8 kilometers (5 miles) around the volcano.

According to reports, authorities are struggling to prevent people from sneaking back to their villages to check on homes and farms. Cutting electricity and water supply has been recommended by Cedric Daep, a disaster response official in the Albay province.

"If pyroclastic flows hit people, there is no chance for life," Daep said, according to AP. "Let us not violate the natural law, avoid the prohibited zone, because if you violate, the punishment is death penalty."

Pilots have also been advised to steer clear of the volcano's summit. Mayon has erupted 50 times in the last half a millenium, the last time being in 2013 which claimed the lives of five climbers.