Video: Mayon Volcano - Locals evacuated as tourists throng

One mans food is another mans poison.

The Mayon Volcano in the Philippines is showing signs of calming down but soldiers are still keeping villagers from returning to their homes.

The volcano alert is on level 4, meaning a major eruption could happen within days.

And while droves of tourists have been drawn to the volcano, hoping for a spectacular display to welcome the New Year, locals' livelihoods have been crippled because they have been forced to evacuate the danger zone.

However, on the 2nd of January the alert level was lowered due to decreased activity.

Mayon is the most active of 22 volcanoes in the country, having erupted more than 50 times in the last four centuries. The most destructive eruption came in February 1841 when lava flows buried a town and killed 1,200 people.

The Philippines lies on the "Ring of Fire," a belt of volcanoes circling the Pacific Ocean that is also prone to earthquakes.