Evacuation underway as Phivolcs warns of stronger Kanlaon eruptions

About 87,000 residents living within the six-kilometer danger zone of Mount Kanlaon on Negros Island were being evacuated yesterday, a day after the volcano briefly erupted with a towering ash plume and superhot streams of gas and debris hurtling down its western slopes.

The latest eruption did not cause any immediate casualties, but the alert level was raised to level three, indicating further and more explosive eruptions may occur. Volcanic ash fell on a wide area, including Antique, more than 200 kilometers across seawaters west of the volcano, obscuring visibility and posing health risks, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) chief volcanologist Teresito Bacolcol and other officials said by telephone.

At least six domestic flights and a flight bound for Singapore were canceled and two local flights were diverted in the region Monday and Tuesday due to Kanlaon's eruption, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).

The mass evacuations were being carried out urgently in towns and villages nearest the western and southern slopes of Kanlaon which were blanketed by ash, including in La Castellana town in Negros Occidental, the Office of Civil Defense said.

More than 6,000 have moved to evacuation centers, aside from those who have temporarily transferred to the homes of relatives in La Castellana by Tuesday morning, the town's mayor, Rhumyla Mangilimutan, told The Associated Press by telephone.

President Marcos said authorities were ready to provide support to large numbers of displaced villagers and that his social welfare secretary flew early Tuesday to the affected region.

"We are ready to support the families who have been evacuated outside the six-kilometer danger zone," Marcos told reporters.

Government scientists were monitoring the air quality due to the risk of contamination from toxic volcanic gases that may require more people to be evacuated from areas affected by Monday's eruption.

Disaster-response contingents were rapidly establishing evacuation centers and seeking supplies of face masks, food and hygiene packs.

Authorities also shut schools and imposed a nighttime curfew in the most vulnerable areas.