The Philippines issues a level two alert for activity in the Taal volcano and registers an earthquake of magnitude 5.6 in the country

MADRID, 3 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Institute of Volcanology and Seismology of the Philippines (Phivolcs) has issued a level two alert this Friday due to increasing activity in the Taal volcano, located on the west coast of the island of Luzon and has registered an earthquake of magnitude 5.6 in the open Richter scale off the coast of the Asian country.

Phivolcs experts have confirmed volcanic tremors in the last 24 hours. The Taal is the second most active volcano in the Philippines.

The earthquake was recorded at 2:54 am (local time) with the epicenter located 31 kilometers east of the city of Caguait, in the province of Surigao del Sur.

The last time Taal, the only volcano in the world that is inside a lake on an island, erupted on March 27, forcing more than 9,000 people living around the volcano to flee their homes.

The Philippines is located on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," where about 90 percent of the world's earthquakes occur.

The last major earthquake to hit the country was a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that killed more than 220 people in the central Philippines in October 2013.

In July 1990, more than 2,400 people died on the northern island of Luzon in a 7.8-magnitude earthquake, one of the strongest to hit the country.