Taal volcano: thousands flee after eruption in Philippines

Residents ordered to leave homes as ash and steam sent hundreds of metres into sky

Thousands of people fled their homes near a Philippine volcano after an eruption sent ash and steam hundreds of metres into the sky.

Taal volcano, which sits in a picturesque lake south of Manila, exploded with a short-lived" burst at 7:22 am on Saturday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in a statement.