MANILA – The Mayon Volcano in Albay province in the northern Philippines erupted on Friday, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS).

A "moderately explosive eruption" occurred at Mayon Volcano at around 11:53 am local time, the institute said in a statement. The eruption lasted for about 6 minutes, it added.

PHIVOLCS said the event generated a plume that rose 3,000 meters above the crater. The ashfall is expected to drift west and southwest.

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The institute raised the alert level from 2 to Level 3, with Level 5 being the highest on the scale. This means that Mayon Volcano is in a new phase of magmatic eruption, with increased chances of lava flows and pyroclastic density currents affecting the upper to middle slopes of the volcano in the immediate days to weeks.

The statement said it recommended that people in the 6-km radius Permanent Danger Zone be evacuated and that civil aviation authorities advise pilots to avoid flying close to the volcano's summit.

Mayon, famed for its near-perfect conical shape, is one of the Philippines' most active volcanoes and has a long history of explosive eruptions that have triggered mass evacuations.