After more than 500 years of sleep, Pinatubo, located on the island of Luzon, northwest of Manila, began to show signs of awakening in April 1991 (seismic tremors and fumaroles). While it was thought to be extinct, it proved not to be so when a powerful eruption occurred on June 15, 1991. Clouds of ash clouded the atmosphere for several days, making the air difficult to breathe. The ash fallout also devastated the crops located downwind, as did the lava flows that poured from the summit into most of the surrounding valleys. The elements were unleashed on the Philippines as Typhoon Yunya crossed the country at the same time. Its torrential rains, mixing with the ash from the eruption, triggered powerful and devastating mudflows (called lahar). There were between 800 and 1,000 victims. Today, Mount Pinatubo is once again an asset to the region as it offers exceptional hiking and is monitored, like all other volcanoes, by PHIVOLCS, the government agency that studies volcanic phenomena and can predict eruptions. However, the ash deposits are regularly remobilized by the heavy rains of the wet season and turn into torrents of mud, bringing their share of devastation.

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