<span style="color: #222222;">The Philippine seismological agency called for the evacuation of thousands of people near a volcano south of Manila after an eruption sent steam and rock fragments hundreds of metres into the sky.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Taal volcano, which sits in a lake, has been belching sulphur dioxide for several days, creating a thick haze over the capital and several surrounding provinces, and prompting health warnings.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The last eruption in January 2020 shot ash 15 kilometres high and spewed red-hot lava, crushing scores of homes, killing livestock and sending over 135,000 people into shelters.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Taal burst to life again today afternoon with a short-lived dark phreatomagmatic plume that rose a kilometre into the air, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in a statement.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The agency warned of possible "succeeding eruptions" as it raised the level from two to three, and recommended the evacuation of the volcano island and "high-risk" areas of Agoncillo and Laurel towns.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">A spokesman for the national disaster agency said its local agents had called an emergency meeting with government officials and emergency services. He estimated nearly 15,000 people lived in the most vulnerable areas.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Taal is one of the most active volcanoes in a nation hit periodically by eruptions and earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone of intense seismic activity.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Access to the volcano island, which was once home to a community of thousands, has been prohibited since last year.</span><br />''  <br />