Mount Kanlaon Erupts, Spews Ash, Forcing School Closures in the Philippines

A serene Tuesday morning turned tense in the central Philippines when Mount Kanlaon erupted, spewing out a thick column of ash rising to the height of 4 kilometers above ground level, prompting communities to make swift safety preparations.

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), this eruption began at around 5:51 AM. Located on Negros Island, the volcano vomited this huge plume of ash and gas that drifted southwest with gray haze painted in the sky. Almost one hour later, the activity ceased at 6:47 AM.

Mount Kanlaon is one of the 24 active volcanoes in the Philippines and is quite active; it has been under scrutiny since its last eruption in December led to the evacuation of nearby villages. Many of those villagers were still under evacuation orders when the eruption occurred on Tuesday.

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One of the students, Channel Nicor, 22, shared that she was on her way to school when she saw the eruption take place. “It sounded like a giant rock crashing down. Then I looked up and saw this huge ash cloud growing above the volcano. I was nervous, but not as scared as before—we knew what to do this time.”

PHIVOLCS still maintained the Alert Level 3, indicating that the volcano had a high level of unrest. Since then, that level has remained unchanged.

Just last September, the volcano released thousands of tonnes of harmful gas in a single day, forcing yet another evacuation. With Kanlaon showing signs of continued activity, officials are staying on high alert and encouraging all persons in the danger zone to remain vigilant and uphold safety protocols.