LEMERY (Philippines) • A volcano that erupted in the Philippines last weekend belched smaller plumes of ash and shuddered continuously with quakes yesterday, prompting the authorities to block access to nearby towns due to fears of a bigger eruption.

A crater lake and nearby river on the Taal volcano have dried up in signs of its continued restiveness, and officials have warned people against speculating that the five-day eruption is waning.

"Activity in the past 24 hours has generally waned to weak emission of steam-laden plumes," the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said. But the region remained just a notch down from the highest level of alert the agency could issue if the volcano erupts more violently.

Many houses and farms have been damaged by volcanic ash since Sunday's eruption started, though no deaths or major injuries have been reported after tens of thousands of people evacuated.

A 65-year-old woman died of a heart attack while being moved out of Taal town in Batangas province but officials said she had been ill and may have been stressed by the calamity. Batangas province lies more than 65km south of the capital Manila.

Soldiers and police have blocked villagers from going back to the island volcano and nearby towns to retrieve their belongings, poultry and cattle. The move sparked arguments with villagers.

"We've lost everything. Our house got damaged. But I need to retrieve my pots and cooking wares and other things. They should not be very, very strict," said 59-year-old Erlinda Landicho, who was among a throng of villagers stopped by police from re-entering the ash-blanketed town of Lemery in Batangas.

More than 125,000 people have fled their homes in Batangas, which has declared a state of calamity to allow the faster release of emergency funds.

At least 373 evacuation sites are crammed with displaced villagers, and there is a need for more ash masks, portable toilets, bottled water and sleeping mats, said a provincial disaster-response office.

The 311m Taal volcano is one of the world's smallest but also one of the most restive of 24 active volcanoes across the Philippines.

ASSOCIATED PRESS