The Kanlaon Volcano in central Philippines erupted violently in the early hours of Tuesday, sending a column of volcanic ash shooting up to 4,000 meters into the sky, prompting rescue officials to urge local schools to suspend classes. The volcano is currently under Alert Level 3.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) stated in a press release on Tuesday, “At 5:51 a.m. this morning, the summit vent of Kanlaon Volcano started to exhibit explosive eruption, which continued until 6:47 a.m.”
The institute mentioned that the volcano “spewed a significant amount of volcanic ash and smoke, with an ash column reaching about 4,000 meters high and drifting towards the southwest direction.”
Videos circulating on social media depict a massive column of smoke slowly rising like a curtain.
Kanlaon Volcano is situated on Negros Island in central Philippines and is one of the country’s more than twenty active volcanoes. Its most recent major eruption was in December 2024, when the alert level was raised from 2 to 3 by Phivolcs, signifying “indications of magma activity with magma moving towards the surface, posing risks of explosive eruption, lava flow, and volcanic debris flow.” Consequently, tens of thousands of residents in surrounding villages were urgently evacuated.
During this eruption, the areas surrounding Kanlaon Volcano remain under evacuation order. Additionally, the current alert level for the volcano is still at Level 3. Phivolcs categorizes volcano alert levels from 0 to 5, with 0 indicating “no alert” and 5 meaning “volcanic eruption is ongoing.”
John De Asis, a rescue official in La Castellana municipality, Negros Occidental province (also known as Western Negros or Negros Island), informed Agence France-Presse, “We have made preparations to respond to the eruption. During last December’s eruption, residents within a radius of 4 to 6 kilometers were all evacuated. Now, we are monitoring which villages might be affected by volcanic ash.”
De Asis added that they recommend “temporary suspension of classes in all schools within the city.”
The Philippines, located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” experiences frequent volcanic activity and earthquakes.