The 1965 Mt. Taal Eruption

Mt. Taal is an ancient volcano in the Philippines that has erupted every decade or so for hundreds of years. Rising from the crater lake of an even older volcano, Taal is as picturesque as it is deadly. Although residents have accustomed themselves to the risk of living in the shadow of an active volcano, Taal can be deadly. On January 30, 1911, a massive eruption killed 1,335 people through a combination of a lava flow and a tsunami. On September 28, 1965, Mt. Taal erupted again, launching a cloud of steam over 10 miles into the air and sending fiery rocks hissing into the surrounding lake. The lava flow from the blast killed 350 people. Taal still erupts to this day, a constant threat to the people that share the island with it.