Hundreds Flee After Philippine Volcano Warning
Hundreds of people fled their homes in the Philippines on Wednesday (Sep 11) after it spurted harmful gases, an official said, as experts warned of a potential eruption.
On September 11, hundreds of residents were evacuated from villages near Kanlaon volcano in the Philippines due to harmful gas emissions and eruption fears. The volcano's sulphur dioxide emissions tripled, raising concerns about potential eruptive unrest.
About 300 residents of villages within 4km of the Kanlaon volcano crater in the centre of the country were evacuated on Tuesday as a precaution, the local government of nearby Canlaon City said.
The evacuees have taken temporary shelter at schools and community centres away from the volcano, city information officer Edna Lhou Masicampo told AFP on Wednesday.
"People from villages near the foot of the volcano have been complaining about the strong smell of sulphur," Masicampo said, adding most residents are farmers. Classes were suspended
"This is the highest emission from the volcano recorded since instrumental gas monitoring began," the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in a statement.
"Current activity may lead to eruptive unrest," it added, putting residents of the four villages at risk of "ballistic projectiles, rockfalls and others" from red-hot and swiftly-moving ash clouds.
Rising more than 2.4km above sea level on the central island of Negros, Kanlaon is one of the Philippines' 24 active volcanoes.
It has erupted 15 times in the past nine years. In August 1996, three hikers were killed due to an ash ejection from the volcano.
In June, the state volcanology agency raised the alert level for the volcano from one to two on a zero-to-five scale, warning more explosive eruptions were possible.
The Philippines is located in the seismically active Pacific "Ring of Fire" that contains more than half the world's volcanoes.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com
