The Philippine government called for the evacuation of villages in the immediate vicinity.
On Monday, the Kanlaon volcano erupted on the Philippine island of Negros, spewing a huge cloud of ash and volcanic gases into the air. The Philippine government has called for the evacuation of villages in the immediate vicinity of the stratovolcano, reports TASR according to the AFP agency.
“Today at 3:03 p.m. (9:03 a.m. CET), there was an explosive eruption at the summit of the Kanlaon volcano,” the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in a statement. “All local government units are advised to evacuate a six-kilometer radius from the volcano’s summit and must be prepared for additional evacuation if (the volcano’s) activity warrants it,” it added.
Kanlaon (2465 m above sea level) is one of the 24 active volcanoes in the Philippines, which are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire.
Videos on social media from around the volcano show a volcanic cloud over the crater of the volcano. The Seismological Office said volcanic ash rose up to 3,000 meters above the crater, and red-hot ash and other materials fell on the southeast slope of the volcano. Volcanic activity “may escalate into further explosive eruptions,” the institute added.
The volcano woke up to life already in September, when hundreds of residents had to be evacuated from its surroundings, because the volcano spewed thousands of tons of harmful gases into the surroundings in a single day. It has erupted 15 times in the last nine years. In August 1996, the eruption claimed the lives of three tourists.
