Schools shut as gases from volcano make children ill

Steam rises from Taal Volcano, Batangas province, Philippines in 2021 (Aaron Favila/AP)

Smog containing gases from a restive Philippine volcano has sickened dozens of students and prompted 25 towns and cities to shut their schools as a health precaution, officials said.

There is no imminent threat of a major eruption of Taal Volcano, which authorities said remains at a low level of unrest in Batangas province south of Manila.