MANILA - Philippine authorities on Tuesday ordered tens of thousands of people to leave their homes following eruption of Mt. Kanlaon, the strongest in recent years, local media reported. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council directed everyone living within a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) radius of the volcano to rush to safer areas.
Mt. Kanlaon erupted on Monday, second time this year, sending hot ash and gases up to 3 km (1.8 mi) in the sky and forcing residents to seek shelter, state-run Philippine News Agency reported.
It erupted for nearly four minutes on Monday, sending a plume of ash to as far as the Antique province, which lies over 200 km (124 mi) across the sea from the volcano, according to Philippine’s chief volcanologist Teresito Bacolcol. He prohibited the citizens from staying within 4 km (2.4 mi) radius of the volcano as a “sudden and more explosive eruption” is still possible.
Schools were closed and a nighttime curfew was imposed in the most vulnerable areas. Doctors have urged those residing in the danger zones to wear masks.
Civil aviation authorities canceled at least six domestic and one international flight and two local flights to be diverted on Monday and Tuesday due to the volcanic eruption. Nearly 10,000 individuals have so far been evacuated from five cities and towns around Mt. Kanlaon, according to the Office of Civil Defense.
The situation remained critical in La Castellana in the Negros Occidental province, where some 47,000 people reside within the 6-kilometer danger zone.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the alert level could be further elevated from level 3 to 5 of the five-step warning system as the situation remained volatile. The government said that adequate stocks of relief supplies are ready for families affected by Kanalon’s latest eruption.
The Philippines is located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where volcanic activity and earthquakes are common.