A desolate landscape of ash dunes and bare trees left by the eruption of the Philippines' Taal
volcano lay in contrast with a few signs of life at ground zero of the disaster on Tuesday.

The island site was buried by massive deposits of ash when Taal erupted last week and remains under a mandatory evacuation order due to a feared bigger blast.
Authorities have said any outward signs of an imminent eruption have been weak over the past several days.