Philippines volcano alert 'high'

Almost 50,000 residents living on the slopes of the Philippines' most-active volcano have been moved to emergency shelters, as local officials brace for a major disaster.

The evacuees are being told to prepare for an uncomfortable Christmas, with little sign that it will be safe enough to return home before the holiday season.

Speaking to Al Jazeera on Tuesday, Renato Solidum, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said scientists had recorded an "intense level of unrest" at the volcano, with hundreds of small volcanic quakes and large plumes of ash.

"The likelihood of an explosive eruption is high," Solidum said, speaking from nearby Legazpi City, although he added it was not 100 per cent certain.

Solidum said his team had recorded 1,266 volcanic quakes in the last 24 hours, down from nearly 2,000 the previous day.

But he said while the quakes were fewer, they were more powerful.

Volcanologists have put the alert around Mayon at level four on a five-point scale.

Level five signifies an eruption is under way.