People living in villages surrounding Mount Kanlaon, in central Philippines, were evacuated from their homes today after a brief eruption of the volcano, according to local authorities.
A four-minute eruption occurred at 3:03 p.m. (7:03 a.m. in Lisbon), sending a four-kilometer-high column of ash as a mixture of hot lava, gas and volcanic rock raced down the slope on the volcano's southeastern flank, local officials said in a statement. press conference, warning of the risk of new eruptions of the volcano.
Mount Kanlaon, located on the island of Negros and at an altitude of 2,400 meters above sea level, is one of the 24 active volcanoes in the archipelago.
Videos posted on social media by residents showed a cauliflower-shaped mass of smoke rising from the crater.
Maria Antonia Bornas, head of the surveillance department at the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, said ash fallout from the volcano affected several nearby towns and villages, with no casualties or damage reported to the area.
However, he warned of the risk that heavy rain could cause flows of volcanic material into inhabited areas.
"Evacuations are underway" in four villages near the town of La Castellana, on the volcano's southwestern flank, said Ronel Arevalo, a municipal police officer, adding that he did not know the number of residents affected.
Officials said activity at the Bacolod-Silay International Airport remains normal, but warned airlines that their aircraft should avoid flying below 3,000 meters above sea level in the volcano area.
In September, hundreds of residents in the area were evacuated after Mount Kanlaon spewed thousands of tons of toxic gas in one day.
Kanlaon has erupted more than 40 times since 1866, according to records from the Institute of Volcanology.
In 1996, three hikers were killed by ash spewing from the volcano.
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