Central Philippines Kanlaon volcano erupts; evacuations in progress

Mount Kanlaon is one of two dozen active volcanoes in the Philippines, which is located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where volcanic activity and earthquakes are frequent.

“Some local government units (LGUs) have started evacuation. There are already ashfalls in the LGUs near Kanlaon,” Bryll Sanor, a staff of the disaster agency in Negros Occidental province, said by phone.

The civil defense office said emergency evacuations are underway for people living near the volcano, without saying how many have been evacuated so far. About 54,000 people could be affected by the eruption.

“Authorities are preparing for the worst-case scenario of raising the alert level … which would require more evacuation and safety measures,” the civil defense office said in a statement.

The civil aviation regulator said flights near Mount Kanlaon were operating normally but advised pilots to avoid flying close to the volcano.

Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental are major producers of sugar cane.

In September, hundreds of nearby residents were evacuated after the volcano spewed thousands of tons of noxious gases in a single day.

The seismological bureau said Kanlaon has erupted more than 40 times since 1866.

In 1996, three hikers were killed by ash from the volcano.