About 87,000 people were evacuated today from villages in the central Philippines, a day after a short eruption of the volcano on Mount Kanlaon forced the cancellation of at least seven flights.
A four-minute eruption on Monday sent a four-kilometer-high column of ash as a mix of hot lava, gas and volcanic rock raced down the slope on the volcano's southeastern flank, local officials said, warning of the risk of new eruptions.
Volcanic ash fell over a wide area, including Antique province, more than 200 kilometers west of the volcano, obscuring visibility and posing health risks, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology director Teresito Bacolcol said.
At least six domestic flights and one Singapore-bound flight were canceled and two local flights were diverted in the region on Monday and today due to the Kanlaon eruption, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said.
The population was being removed from the nearest settlements on the western and southern slopes of Kanlaon. In La Castellana, Negros Occidental, nearly 47,000 people had to be evacuated from a six-kilometer danger zone around the volcano, Civil Protection said.
More than six thousand people were transferred to reception centers, while others temporarily relocated to relatives' homes in La Castellana this morning (local time), said the mayor, Rhumyla Mangilimutan.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said authorities were ready to provide support to a large number of displaced residents and that the Social Welfare Secretary flew this morning to the affected region.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology was analyzing air quality due to the risk of contamination by toxic volcanic gases that could require the evacuation of more areas.
Authorities also closed schools and imposed a nighttime curfew in the most vulnerable areas.
Mount Kanlaon, located on the island of Negros, 2,400 meters above sea level, is one of the 24 most active volcanoes in the archipelago.
Videos posted on social media by residents showed a cauliflower-shaped mass of smoke rising from the crater.
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.
Located in the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire", a region of intense seismic and volcanic activity, the Philippines is hit by around 20 typhoons and storms per year and is among the countries that record the most natural disasters.
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