Volcanic Avalanche Floods Philippine Villages; 1 Killed

Thousands of people, many screaming in terror, fled Sunday as steaming volcanic mudflows up to 20 feet high swept through villages and swamped parts of a former U.S. air base in the Philippines.

One man drowned when he was swept into a river by the torrent of mud and rocks from the Mt. Pinatubo volcano, police said. He died in Sapang Bato village outside Angeles, a city of 270,000 people, 50 miles north of Manila.

Seven people were reported missing, including four who fell into rivers. Ash from the volcano fell on Angeles for three hours, blanketing the city under a thick sulfuric cloud, residents said.

The mudflows knocked out electric power in Angeles and covered streets in ankle-deep mud.

Portions of Clark Air Base, abandoned by the United States after Mt. Pinatubo first erupted in June, were covered by the mud avalanche, a relief official said.

Police fired warning shots, church bells rang and people fled as tons of ash and volcanic debris deposited on Pinatubo’s slopes and loosened by heavy monsoon rains cascaded down river channels.