Taal volcano eruption is captured in dramatic wedding photographs

A couple continued their wedding as the Taal volcano began erupting
Randolf Evan Photography
John Dunne @jhdunne13 January 2020

The moment a volcano suddenly flared into life at an island beauty spot in the Philippines was captured in these dramatic wedding photographs.

The eruption led to the evacuation of surrounding areas, and the streets of capital Manila 60 miles north were all but deserted as residents heed government advice to escape dust and fumes.

Schools and offices were shut today, and clouds of ash forced the overnight closure of the country’s main airport with more than 500 flights cancelled.

About 8,000 villagers living on the shore of Taal Lake, a crater lake that surrounds the volcano, have been moved out of their homes and hundreds of thousands more are expected to be evacuated in coming days.

The eruption was captured in the background of wedding photographs
Randolf Evan Photography

But despite the growing threat, Chino Vaflor and Kat Bautista Palomar continued with their wedding ceremony at a venue overlooking the island.

Wedding photographer Randolf Evan told the BBC: “We could feel the ash raining on our clothes. But it didn’t feel alarming until night time came when it became a bit heavier and mud-like.”

Guests shared photos on social media of well-wishers at the buffet below lightning flashes. Mr Evan said the wedding party was now out of the danger zone.

Philippines: Taal Volcano eruption - In pictures

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Taal rumbled back to life yesterday blasting steam, ash and rocks 10 miles into the sky and spurting lava.

Maria Antonio Bornas, of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, said: “The speed of escalation of Taal’s volcanic activity caught us by surprise. We still can expect a hazardous eruption any time.” Taal has erupted more than 30 times in the past five centuries, most recently in 1977. An eruption in 1911 killed 1,500 people and one in 1754 lasted for a few months.

An Australian man injured in a volcanic eruption in New Zealand last month has died in hospital, becoming the 20th victim of the disaster. Paul Browitt and his two daughters were caught in the eruption on White Island on December 9. The body of Krystal Browitt, 21, was recovered from the island. Stephanie Browitt, 23, is being treated at the Melbourne hospital where her father died last night.

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