• Volcanology agency raises alert level for Mount Kanlaon in the Philippines after an “explosive eruption”
• The Philippines hosts over half of the world’s volcanoes, with Kanlaon being one of 24 active volcanoes.
• Hazards include pyroclastic and lahar flows, as well as ashfall.

The volcanology agency raised the alert level for a Philippine volcano on Monday after an “explosive eruption” sent a plume of ash, gas, and steam five kilometers (three miles) into the sky.

Mount Kanlaon on the central island of Negros erupted shortly before 7:00 p.m. (1100 GMT), prompting warnings for nearby residents to wear facemasks due to the threat of volcanic gases and falling ash.

“When it erupted, we heard a thunder-like sound,” Ethan Asentista-Khoo, 35, said from his home in Pula village near the volcano.

“There was like a fire on the mouth of the volcano, which lasted around one to two minutes. I didn’t see any lava or rocks coming out.”

The Philippines, situated in the seismically active Pacific “Ring of Fire,” hosts more than half of the world’s volcanoes. Kanlaon is one of 24 active volcanoes in the archipelago nation.

Eruptions can pose deadly threats to communities surrounding the volcano, with hazards including pyroclastic and lahar flows, as well as ashfall.

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