Kanlaon Volcano had 'explosive eruption' —PHIVOLCS

Kanlaon Volcano on Negros Island had an explosive eruption on Tuesday morning, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said.

"ATM: Explosive eruption at Kanlaon Volcano ongoing. Details to be released," PHIVOLCS said in a Facebook post.

The explosive eruption occurred at 5:51 a.m., according to Mariton Bornas, chief of PHIVOLCS Volcano Monitoring Eruption Prediction Division, in an interview on Dobol B TV.

Thick plumes were seen rising from the volcano, and these drifted southwest, she said.

"The eruption is producing a voluminous bent plume approximately 4,000 meters tall that is drifting southwest," PHIVOLCS said in a Facebook post.

Pyroclastic density currents (PDC) were also seen flowing down the southern flank of the volcano, Bornas added.

"Humihina na ngayon ang pagputok pero ongoing. Medyo mabagal 'yung pag-akyat ng plume ngayon," she said.

(The eruption is weakening but still ongoing. The rise of plumes is a bit slower now.)

"Patuloy ang mabagal na pagbuga ng abo... Binabantayan po natin," Bornas said.

(The slow emission of ash continues... We are monitoring.)

At 7:02 a.m., PHIVOLCS posted on X that the eruption has ended.

"This is a notice for the end of the explosive eruption that began at 5:51 AM today, 8 April 2025," the post read.

This is a notice for the end of the explosive eruption that began at 5:51 AM today, 8 April 2025.

— PHIVOLCS-DOST (@phivolcs_dost) April 7, 2025

Interviewed on GMA Integrated News’ Unang Balita, PHIVOLCS chief Teresito Bacolcol said the volcano’s explosive eruption stopped at 6:47 a.m. 

“Natapos na siya kanina at 6:47 a.m., nag-end na po 'yung eruption so it lasted for almost one hour from 5:51 a.m. to 6:47 a.m.,” Bacolcol said. 

(The eruption stopped earlier at 6:47 a.m. so it lasted for almost one hour from 5:51 a.m. to 6:47 a.m.)

Several areas suspended classes due to Kanlaon eruption.

Kanlaon Volcano, which straddles the provinces of Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental, is under Alert Level 3 as of the latest PHIVOLCS bulletin issued Tuesday covering the 24-hour period from 12 a.m. Monday to 12 a.m. Tuesday.

Bornas confirmed that Alert Level 3 is still in effect as of posting time.

PHIVOLCS reminded the public that the six-kilometer radius zone should be evacuated.

Bornas also said that there should be no people within the four-kilometer radius permanent danger zone.

In a press statement, Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian expressed readiness dispatch family food packs and other needed aid to families affected by another explosive eruption of Kanlaon Volcano.

He said over 250,000 boxes of family food packs were prepositioned in the warehouses of DSWD’s Field Office (FO) 6 – Western Visayas and 7-Central Visayas ahead of the ongoing explosive eruption.

“As I speak, our Field Offices in Western and Central Visayas are closely coordinating with affected local government units so we can get real-time updates on the status of affected families, and their need for more provisions of family food packs and non-food items,” Gatchalian said.

“We expect the numbers of evacuees may spike again, but we are ready. Our nearby warehouses are capacitated. In fact, apart from the more than 100,000 FFPs in Negros Island, we have over 2.5 million boxes of FFPs prepositioned in other warehouses across the country which we can tap anytime for our relief response,” he said.

Apart from FFPs, the agency also has P865,447,008-worth of non-food items such as kitchen kit, family kit, sleeping kit, hygiene kit, and laminated sacks, among other relief items.

On Monday, Kanlaon Volcano had 14 volcanic earthquakes and emitted moderate plumes rising up to 300 meters tall. It also emitted 1,655 tonnes of sulfur dioxide, according to the PHIVOLCS Tuesday early morning bulletin.

After almost seven years of relative inactivity, Kanlaon Volcano erupted on June 3, 2024, and again on December 9, 2024. —KG/AOL, GMA Integrated News