MANILA (Reuters) – A restive volcano within the central Philippines spewed a column of ash at least 1 km (0.6 mile) into the sky on Sunday, prompting authorities to lift the alert at Mount Bulusan by one notch and remind residents to not enter the hazard zone.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised its alert on Bulusan to level 1, or low level of volcanic unrest, from 0 on a five-level scale, which implies it’s at present in an “irregular situation.”
In the 24 hours earlier than the eruption, 77 volcanic earthquakes had been recorded, the institute stated in an announcement.
Renato Solidum, the pinnacle of the institute, described Bulusan’s eruption as “phreatic”, or steam-driven, which is typical of Bulusan Volcano.
“The precaution is similar, no entry within the 4 km radius everlasting hazard zone, and of course, one must be protected type ashfall if there shall be ashfall within the space, like carrying of masks or staying indoors,” Solidum advised Reuters.
The large cloud of ash from Bulusan turned the skies gray, as seen in a video shared on Facebook by a resident of Casiguran city on Bulusan’s northern slopes.
Bulusan, among the many Philippines’ 24 lively volcanoes, final erupted in June 2017, the institute stated.
The Philippines is within the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” the place volcanic exercise and earthquakes are frequent.
Mount Pinatubo, on Luzon island within the northern Philippines, erupted in 1991 after mendacity dormant for 600 years. That eruption buried dozens of villages below tonnes of mud. More than 800 folks died, largely from illnesses in crowded evacuation camps.
(Reporting by Karen Lema and Adrian Portugal; Editing by William Mallard)
