Kanlaon Volcano in the Philippines has erupted, sending a plume of ash 4 kilometres into the sky.
One of 24 active volcanoes in the region, it erupted on Tuesday morning local time, causing a “voluminous bent plume approximately 4,000 meters tall that is drifting southwest", leading local officials to call for school cancellations.
It last erupted in December, and the surrounding villages were evacuated, with the nearby island of Negros was still under evacuation orders when the latest eruption occurred.
"An explosive eruption is currently occurring at the summit vent of Kanlaon Volcano that began at 5:51 am today," the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in a statement on X.
Speaking to the AFP, John De Asis, a rescue official in Negros Occidental province's La Castellana municipality, said that they were “prepared for the eruption” in part thanks to the previous eruption at the end of last year.
“Right now we are just monitoring which villages will be affected by the ashfall,” he said, adding that they were recommending "the cancellation of classes and work in the municipality".
