Taal volcano (Luzon, Philippines) activity update: Significant eruption, first in 43 years, Alert Level raised to 4

Taal is erupting for the first time since 1977, and has sent a steam-and-ash plume to 16.8km (55,000ft), accompanied by a lot of lightning. PHIVOLCS has raised the Alert Level to 4 on a scale of 0-5. It is currently unknown whether the eruption is phreatic or phreatomagmatic.

Taal is an extremely dangerous volcano that has the potential to produce massive base surges and tsunami waves in the lake, as in the last major eruption in 1965; there is a 14km exclusion zone around the main crater in place.

Numerous flights have been cancelled and significant widespread ashfall (described as a "brownout") is causing much disruption, with power outages reported.