Divers searching for dozens of murdered cockfighters in a lake south of Manila were forced to exit the water when the volcanic island in its centre erupted unexpectedly.
The low-level eruption, which sent a plume of steam billowing 2,400m skyward from Lake Taal volcano, came a week into the search for the remains of people allegedly killed by rogue police for their involvement in fixing cockfights.
“The (dives) were temporarily terminated,” an official involved in the search who spoke on condition of anonymity said, adding a number of divers had been in the water at the time of the eruption.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the volcano had experienced “minor phreatomagmatic eruptive events” just after 3pm on Thursday.
The agency’s Mara Antonia Bornas said the volcano had been at a low alert level since 2021 and that no major eruptions were predicted.
The divers would not be affected, and only the volcano island in the middle of the lake was “under precaution”, she said.
Since beginning the search on July 10, the Philippine Coast Guard has found five bags at the bottom of the lake, some of which may have contained human bones.
Police are conducting forensic testing to determine if the bones are human and if they match the DNA of the missing cockfighters.
Fifteen police officers are under investigation over the spate of mysterious 2022 disappearances in the country’s huge cockfighting industry.
The case erupted back into the public consciousness last month with the televised appearance of a witness claiming to know where bodies had been submerged in Lake Taal.
Located about two hours south of Manila, the lake spans more than 230sq km and reaches depths of 172m in some places. — AFP
