Fear grips residents amid Kanlaon Volcano’s explosive eruption

Even though Kanlaon Volcano’s moderately explosive eruption only lasted two minutes, the sight of the volcano spewing dark gray plumes and the subsequent ashfall caused fear among residents living near the volcano on Negros Island.

According to the report of GMA Regional TV’s Aileen Pedreso on “24 Oras,” videos of the volcano’s brief eruption on Thursday afternoon showed the dark plumes rising 2,000 meters above its crater.

The videos – posted by residents on social media – also revealed their fear and awe amid the eruption.

Fear also gripped some residents of Barangay Masulog in Canlaon town.

A female resident was heard uttering a prayer while others expressed a mixture of awe and fear of the dark plumes as it rose above the volcano’s crater.

The two-minute moderate explosive eruption began at around 4:38 p.m. Thursday and was followed by ashfall in the environs of Kanlaon Volcano.

The ashfall was logged in some parts of Barangay Ma-ao in Bago City, Negros Occidental, where plants were covered in gray ash.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) also noted that pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) or “uson” flowed down the volcano’s slopes for at least a kilometer.

Based on photos shared on social media, the volcano’s explosive eruption was visible from Barangay Biak na Bato in La Castellana and in Barangay Mailum in Bago City, both in Negros Occidental.

The volcano remains under Alert Level 2, which means that entry into its four-kilometer radius permanent danger zone (PDZ) is prohibited.

PHIVOLCS said it is not discounting the possibility of another explosive eruption and is strictly monitoring the volcano’s activity.

It added that Kanlaon Volcano is under Alert Level 2 due to the presence of parameters such as volcanic earthquakes and ash emission after the eruption. — JMA, GMA Integrated News