Philippines volcano sends huge ash column into sky amid calls for evacuation

Filipino authorities issued emergency evacuation orders after a volcano in the central Philippines erupted for a second time this year, spewing a high column of ash into the sky.

Mount Kanlaon, an active volcano straddling the central provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental, sent an ash cloud up to 4,000m into the sky at about 3pm (local time). Kanlaon is one of 24 active volcanoes in the Philippines.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised its alert level to 3 on a scale of 5, which indicates an increased risk of lava flows and the potential for a hazardous eruption within weeks. It advised all local government units to evacuate the 6km radius from the summit of the volcano.

"We are still unable to confirm if this is a magmatic eruption. But for now we just call it as explosive eruption," director Teresito Bacolcol told Reuters. "It may lead to magmatic unrest."

Videos posted by locals showed a giant grey mass of smoke billowing above Kanlaon's crater while roads around the volcano were covered in ashes.

The civil defence office said emergency evacuations were underway for people living near the volcano, without saying how many had been evacuated so far. About 54,000 people could be affected by the eruption.

"Authorities are preparing for the worst-case scenario of raising the alert level ... which would necessitate further evacuation and safety measures," the civil defence office said in a statement.

The civil aviation regulator said flights near Mt Kanlaon were operating as normal, but advised pilots to avoid flying close to the volcano.

The Philippines is situated along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region known for frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity. The nation is also lashed by about 20 typhoons and storms a year, making the Southeast Asian nation one of the world’s most disaster-prone.

In 1991, the long-dormant Mount Pinatubo north of Manila witnessed one of the largest volcanic eruptions of the 20th century that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people.