Hundreds of residents living near Mount Kanlaon, in the Philippines, were ordered to vacate this Tuesday (4).
This happened after a volcano erupted, sending a three-mile column of ash into the sky, which also caused dozens of flights to be canceled.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said Mount Kanlaon erupted for six minutes on Monday night (3), causing a “strong earthquake.” The agency warned that ashfall and sulfuric odor would affect neighboring villages.
Forty-three volcanic earthquakes were recorded in the 24 hours to midnight Monday, according to the agency.
Images on social media showed an ash cloud in the night sky. Other videos showed a thick layer of ash covering neighboring villages.
More than 60 flights from three domestic carriers were canceled overnight, impacting more than 5,000 passengers, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.
The Bacolod-Silay airport resumed operations at 11 a.m. Tuesday, but passengers were still expected to face delays.
Since the volcano's alert level was raised to 2, local government officials have ordered the mandatory evacuation of all residents living within 3 kilometers of the volcano.
“Go to your respective evacuation centers, be vigilant and prepare important things like water and food,” warned Jose Chubasco Cardenas, mayor of Canlaon city in Negros Oriental province, in a Facebook video.
Situated on Negros, the fourth most populous island in the archipelago, Mount Kanlaon is one of the country's 24 seismically active volcanoes.
It covers two provinces and is at the highest point of the island, with an altitude of 2,465 meters above sea level.
The Philippines lies along the Ring of Fire, a 25,000-mile arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean that is home to more than half of the world's volcanoes.
Source: CNN Brasil
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