Midnight eruption rocks Philippines' Kanlaon Volcano, reigniting fears of deadly blasts
Kanlaon Volcano, one of 24 active volcanoes in the Southeast Asian nation, has experienced several eruptions in the past century — the most recent of which occurred last month.
A level three alert — on a scale of five — remained in place from an eruption in December, as officials maintained a six-kilometre evacuation radius.
'A moderately explosive eruption occurred at the summit crater of Kanlaon Volcano at 2:55 am today (1855 GMT Monday),' the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in a statement, adding that it lasted five minutes.
'The eruption generated a greyish voluminous plume that rose approximately three kilometres above the vent before drifting to the general west,' it said.
'Large ballistic fragments were also observed to have been thrown around the crater within a few hundred metres and caused burning of vegetation near the volcano summit.'
With the alert level unchanged, the agency warned of 'increased chances of short-lived moderately explosive eruptions that could generate life-threatening volcanic hazards.'
In August 1996, Kanlaon Volcano erupted, sending a spray of heated rocks that killed three hikers who were near the summit at the time.
The Philippines is located on the seismically active Pacific 'Ring of Fire', where more than half of the world's volcanoes are found.
The most powerful volcanic explosion in the Philippines in recent history was the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo, which killed over 800 people. — AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Philippines shuts schools, scraps flights as typhoon nears
Floodwaters swamped some Manila neighbourhoods in waist-deep water earlier this week. (EPA Images pic) MANILA : The Philippines shut down schools and cancelled flights today as typhoon-driven rains pounded the northern island of Luzon, a situation president Ferdinand Marcos called 'the new normal'. Typhoon Co-May, upgraded from a tropical storm overnight, follows days of monsoon rains that have killed at least 19 people and left another 11 missing across the archipelago since July 18, according to the national disaster agency. With maximum sustained winds of 120kph, the typhoon was expected to make landfall on the west coast in either La Union or Ilocos Sur province by tomorrow morning, the country's weather service said. Marcos said today that climate change meant Filipinos needed to be thinking about how to adapt to a 'new normal'. 'This is not an extraordinary situation anymore… This will be our lives no matter what we do,' he told a televised cabinet briefing, adding the country should plan for the long-term in addressing natural disasters. 'This is the way it's going to be as far as we know for… many decades to come, so let's just prepare,' he said. 'We have to understand that the climate has changed, the rain patterns have changed,' he added, pointing to recent devastating flooding in the US state of Texas. Around 70 domestic and international flights in the Philippines were cancelled today due to the storms, the civil aviation authority said. The government later announced that classes across Luzon would remain suspended through tomorrow. Tens of thousands were evacuated across Manila earlier this week by floodwaters that swamped some neighbourhoods in waist-deep water and left residents of nearby provinces stranded and in need of rescue by boat. As of today, at least several thousand people in Manila remained unable to return to their homes. 'We cannot send them home yet because it is still raining and some typhoons are still expected to affect the country,' Ria Mei Pangilinan, a rescue coordinator in the capital, told AFP. 'There might be more (evacuees) if the rain does not stop.' Typhoon Co-May was about 105km off the country's west coast as of 8pm.
Malay Mail
6 days ago
- Malay Mail
Philippines shuts schools, scraps flights as Typhoon Co-May nears
MANILA, July 24 — The Philippines shut down schools and cancelled flights Thursday as torrential rains driven by a typhoon and a separate tropical storm pounded the country's northern island of Luzon. Typhoon Co-May, upgraded from a tropical storm overnight, follows days of monsoon rains that have killed at least 12 people and left another eight missing across the archipelago since July 18, according to the national disaster agency. With maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometres (75 miles) per hour, the typhoon was expected to make landfall on the west coast in either La Union or Ilocos Sur province by Friday morning, the country's weather service said. Around 70 domestic and international flights have been cancelled due to the storms, the civil aviation authority said. The government has announced the suspension of classes across Luzon for Thursday. Tens of thousands were evacuated across Manila earlier this week by floodwaters that swamped some neighbourhoods in waist-deep water and left residents of nearby provinces stranded and in need of rescue by boat. As of Thursday, at least several thousand people in Manila remained unable to return to their homes. 'We cannot send them home yet because it is still raining and some typhoons are still expected to affect the country,' Ria Mei Pangilinan, a rescue coordinator in the capital, told AFP. 'There might be more (evacuees) if the rain does not stop.' Typhoon Co-May was about 210 kilometres off the country's west coast as of 11 am (0300 GMT). Tropical Storm Francisco, meanwhile, was situated about 735 kilometres from the country's east coast and on a trajectory towards northern Taiwan. The two storms are not believed to be on a collision path. — AFP
Free Malaysia Today
23-07-2025
- Free Malaysia Today
Philippines flooding displaces thousands, 2 missing
Residents wade in floodwaters in the flood-hit city of Marikina, Metro Manila. (EPA Images pic) MANILA : Floodwaters driven by torrential rains ground life in the Philippine capital to a halt on Tuesday, with tens of thousands evacuated from their homes and at least two people believed missing. Schools and government offices in Manila and the surrounding provinces were closed after a night of rain that saw the region's Marikina River burst its banks. More than 23,000 people living along the river were evacuated overnight, sheltering in schools, village halls and covered courtyards. Another 25,000 more were evacuated in the metropolitan area's Quezon and Caloocan cities. 'Usually these people are from low-lying areas like beside creeks (feeding into the river),' according to Wilmer Tan of the Marikina rescue office, who said the river had reached 18m (59 feet) in height. An elderly woman and her driver were swept down a swollen creek as they attempted to cross a bridge in Caloocan, said John Paul Nietes, an emergency operations centre assistant supervisor. 'Their car was recovered last night. The rescue operation is continuing, but as of today, they haven't found either of them,' he said. 'The car window was broken, so the hope is that they were able to escape.' Floodwaters were receding on Tuesday morning, though thousands of people remained unable to return to their homes. Ongoing monsoon rains have killed at least three people and left another seven missing in the central and southern Philippines since Tropical Storm Wipha skirted the country on Friday, according to the national disaster risk reduction and management council. At least 20 storms or typhoons strike or come near the Philippines each year, with the country's poorest regions typically the hardest hit. Deadly and destructive storms are becoming more powerful as the world gets warmer because of climate change. 'This is hard, because if the rain will continue… the river will swell,' Manila street sweeper Avelina Lumangtad, 61, told AFP as she stood next to a flooded thoroughfare. 'The floods are dangerous.'
