Hundreds of thousands of people in the Philippines have been left in fear for their homes and livelihood after being warned to immediately flee one of the world’s most dangerous volcanoes, which threatens either an imminent “explosive eruption” or constant activity for months.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) is maintaining the alert level for the Taal volcano at 4, meaning a hazardous eruption is possible within hours to days, and has urged the evacuation of everyone within an 8.6-mile radius.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), around 459,000 live within the most dangerous zone. The Philippine Red Cross said on Tuesday that close to 25,000 had been able to evacuate, but urged others to leave urgently.

“I’m not trying to scare everybody, but we are preparing for the worst. The possibility of an explosive eruption is high. The challenge right now is taking care of many evacuees. Even more people need to be evacuated,” said chairman, Richard Gordon. “Bring your animals and livestock to evacuation centres if you must.”