Kanlaon eruption displaces nearly 800 people

MANILA, Philippines — Nearly 800 people were evacuated after Mount Kanlaon on Negros island erupted on Monday evening, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDDRMC) reported.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) raised Alert Level 2, indicating increasing unrest, over Kanlaon after it sent a five-kilometer plume of ash, gas, and rocks into the sky.

In a report on Tuesday, the NDRRMC said 796 individuals fled their homes. Most of them sought temporary shelter in evacuation centers. 

PHIVOLCS advised the public to avoid the four-kilometer radius Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) to minimize risks from sudden explosions, rockfall, and landslides as there could be “further explosive eruptions or even hazardous magmatic eruption.”

It also said that pilots should avoid flying close to the volcano’s summit as ash from any sudden eruption can be hazardous to aircraft. 

Kanlaon, which straddles the provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental, is one of the 24 active volcanoes in the archipelago.

The provincial government of Negros Oriental activated the Provincial Disaster Reduction and Management Cluster (PDRRMC) to address the emergency.

Meanwhile, the provincial government of Negros Occidental raised the PDRRMC Emergency Operations Center to Blue Alert. 

In an update on Tuesday, PHIVOLCS reported detecting 43 volcanic earthquakes at Kanlaon.

The Philippines lies in the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire, which is home to over half of the world's volcanoes. — Gaea Katreena Cabico