Philippines: More than 70,000 people flee their villages as volcano Mayon threatens to erupt

Tens of thousands more people have fled an erupting volcano in the Philippines, as foreign tourists arrived to watch the flaming lava and giant clouds spurting from its crater. (Photo | AP) 

More than 70,000 residents are now crammed in schools and other buildings, two weeks after Mayon volcano began showing signs of activity. (Photo | AP)

Volcanologists on Monday warned of a hazardous eruption within days and a no-go zone was extended from six kilometres of the crater to nine kilometres. (Photo | AP)

At some shelters, evacuees are sleeping on the floor, with as many as 50 people sharing a toilet. Other shelters have no toilets at all. IN PIC: Children line up to collect water at an evacuation center in Miisi village, Ligao township. (Photo | AP)

Mount Mayon is known for it's beauty and symmetry, but it is the most active volcano in Philippines. Mayon contains enormous amounts of molten rock and toxic gases. IN PICS: Residents watch as Mayon volcano erupts anew as seen from Legazpi city. (Photo | AP)

The evacuees are mostly farmers and their families, and they are surviving on food handouts from the government and charities. (Photo | AP)

Children-evacuees fetch water at an evacuation center in Miisi village around 340 kilometres away from Manila. (Photo | AP)

With 51 eruptions in the past four centuries, Mayon, a near-perfect cone located about 330 kilometres southeast of Manila, is considered the most volatile of the Philippines' 22 active volcanoes. (Photo | AP)