KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 14 — The Foreign Ministry through the Malaysian Embassy in Manila, Philippines has evacuated 19 Malaysian students studying at the Adventist University of the Philippines (AUP) in Batangas province to Manila yesterday following the eruption of the Taal volcano.

Wisma Putra said in a statement today the evacuation was in the wake of increasingly critical conditions including the declaration of state of emergency by the Philippine Presidential Office.

The ministry also urged Malaysians to postpone travel to areas affected by the disaster if there was no immediate need to do so.

"Malaysian citizens who are affected and in need of assistance are advised to contact the Malaysian Embassy in Manila,” he said.

Taal volcano spewed ash 1,000 metres into the sky on January 12. Authorities said several earthquakes of magnitudes 1-3 were felt in nearby villages.            

One of the most active volcanoes in the Philippines, Taal has erupted more than 30 times in the past five centuries, most recently in 1977. An eruption in 1911 killed 1,500 people and one in 1754 lasted for a few months. — Bernama