Evacuation call as Kanlaon volcano erupts
Kanlaon volcano in Negros province erupted on Monday, sending a huge ash column into the sky as the government called for the evacuation of surrounding villages.
Rising more than 2,400 meters (8,000 feet) above sea level on the central island of Negros, Kanlaon is one of 24 active volcanoes in the Philippines.
"An explosive eruption occurred at the summit vent of Kanlaon Volcano at 3:03 p.m. today," the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in a statement.
"All local government units are advised to evacuate the six-kilometer (four-mile) radius from the summit of the volcano and must be prepared for additional evacuation if activity warrants," it added.
Video clips posted by nearby residents on social media showed a giant cauliflower-shaped grey mass of smoke billowing above Kanlaon's crater.
An explosive eruption occurred at the summit vent of Kanlaon Volcano at 3:03 PM today, 9 December 2024. The eruption produced a voluminous plume that rapidly rose to 3,000 meters above the vent and drifted west-southwest. Pyroclastic density currents or PDCs descended the slopes… pic.twitter.com/EFNFDzRHEe
— PHIVOLCS-DOST (@phivolcs_dost) December 9, 2024
The seismology office said the plume rose to 3,000 meters above the vent, with red-hot ashes and other materials also falling on its southeastern slope.
The activity means "magmatic eruption has begun that may progress to further explosive eruptions," it added.
In September hundreds of nearby residents had been evacuated after the volcano spurted thousands of tonnes of harmful gases in a single day. (AFP)
