Five people were killed in the Philippines on May 7 after one of the country's most active volcanoes erupted, spewing a cloud of ash and smoke high into the air and dislodging rocks, according to CNN.
The climbers were on Mount Mayon, which is located about 212 miles southeast of Manila, when the blast occurred at about 8 a.m. local time, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
Four of those killed were German tourists, and the fifth hiker was identified as Jerome Berin, their Filipino guide. They were killed after being hit by falling rocks, according to Joey Salceda, the governor of Albay Province, who spoke to CNN affiliate ABS-CBN. The hikers were part of a larger group scaling the volcano. Seven others, including an Australian tourist, were also hurt in the blast.
There were 27 total hikers on the volcano at the time of eruption that requested assistance, according to the NDRRMC.
The blast caused a thick column of ash to fly about 1,600 feet into the air, what the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology call a "small phreatic" event. It lasted approximately 73 seconds.
No other intensification of volcanic activity was observed, but the institute warned that sudden ash and steam explosions could occur at any time. As a result, officials advised people against going within a six-kilometer danger zone around the volcano.
Mount Mayon is the most volatile of more than 50 volcanoes that are located across the Philippine archipelago, 22 of which are considered active.
Mount Mayon last erupted in 2010 and forced thousands of people to flee from their homes. The slopes of the volcano are home to thousands of farming communities, who make use of the fertile soil provided by the volcanic activity despite the risk of occasional eruption.
Video of the volcano erupting.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
