Hanoi (VNA) – The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said the “urgent” evacuation of 87,000 people was already underway on December 9 evening, after the eruption of Negros Island’s Kanlaon volcano.
According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the volcano erupted on the same day afternoon, spewing a voluminous plume that rapidly rose 3,000 metres above the vent.
Black ash from the eruption blanketed villages around the volcano, local television footage showed. The institute has raised the warning to level 3 on a five-level scale.
Residents living within a 6-km radius of the volcano's summit are advised to evacuate, the institute said, adding that the public must be prepared for additional evacuation if activity warrants.
Authorities have been preparing for the worst-case scenario of raising the alert level to four if necessary,
Hours before the explosive eruption, volcanologists recorded six volcanic earthquakes and a 16-minute-long ash emission.
The Kanlaon Volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in the Philippines, last erupted in June this year./.
Philippines’ Kanlaon volcano erupts anew
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported on December 9 that Mount Kanlaon, located in central Philippines, has erupted, spewing an ash column as high as 3,000m.
