Three airlines cancelled flights in and out of Negros Occidental and Iloilo following the eruption of Kanloan Volcano that left ash in their airspace on Tuesday, May 13.
Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines and AirAsia said they cancelled flights as a precautionary measure.
Commission on Elections officials said they were thankful that the eruption occurred after the May 12 polls ended.
Bacolod City and 10 other towns and cities in Negros Occidental experienced ashfall and sulfur smell after the explosive eruption at 2:55 a.m. Tuesday.
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council – Emergency Operations Center monitored ashfall or sulfur smell in the cities of La Carlota, Bago and San Carlos, as well as La Castellana, Murcia, San Enrique, Valladolid, Pontevedra, Hinigaran, and Binalbagan.
Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) Director Teresito Bacolcol said there is still a chance for sudden phreatic eruptions, especially since volcanic earthquakes in the area are on the rise.
Residents were urged to steer clear of the 6-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) and to stay alert. Rain could also trigger lahar flow, Phivolcs warned.
Bacolcol also called on local government units to be ready for possible evacuations if Alert Level 4 is declared.
The Bacolod City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) reported that ash particles carried by rainfall were visible in parts of the city affecting at least 18 barangays.
Limit outdoor exposure and use face masks or damp cloths to cover noses and mouths, the CDRRMO said.
The explosive eruption at 2:55 a.m. lasted for five minutes, the Phivolcs said.
The eruption generated a greyish voluminous plume that rose at least four kilometers above the vent before drifting to the general west, Phivolcs said.
Audible rumbling sounds of the eruption were reported in Brgy. Pula, Canlaon City, Negros Oriental and La Castellana, Negros Occidental.
Incandescent pyroclastic density currents or PDCs descended the southern slopes within approximately two kilometers of the crater based on visual and thermal camera monitoring, Phivolcs said.
Large ballistic fragments were also observed to have been thrown around the crater within a few hundred meters and caused burning of vegetation near the volcano summit, it said.
Alert Level 3 (magmatic unrest) prevails over Kanlaon, which means that the volcano is in a state of magmatic unrest, with currently increased chances of short-lived moderately explosive eruptions that could generate life-threatening volcanic hazards.*