A Borth couple have spoken of the moment a volcano erupted whilst they were in the Philippines on a humanitarian mission.

David Hurst and Morena Malbog, who are both members of the Lions Club, have been carrying out work in the southern Philippines as part of a Lions Club visit supporting a range of projects and providing charitable donations.

But during their visit to Tagaytay, the Taal volcano started spewing ash on Sunday, 12 January, while David and Morena were only around three miles away. The ash turned to lava on Monday with the volcano at Level 4 - the level where a serious eruption is expected.

David and Morena have since moved to another region, two hours away. David said they were hoping to attract support from Lions International to help with relief efforts.

He said: “It’s been a bit lively to say the least.

“We were travelling to the coast to talk to a contact about another event and it was dark.

“All of a sudden this ash was coming down. The volcano had already erupted as it takes time for the ash cloud to come back down.

“We were about three miles away - that’s pretty close when it’s erupting.

“We’re trying to get Lions International to provide some support or funding. The situation on the ground now means they desperately need face-masks and blankets. We do things at a club level, but this is way above the club level.”

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