Volcano in Philippines sends ash 4 km into the air

A volcano in the central Philippines erupted early on Tuesday morning, sending a plume of ash 4,000 meters into the sky and prompting calls for local school cancellations.

Kanlaon Volcano, one of 24 active volcanoes in the Southeast Asian nation, had already erupted in December, leading to the evacuation of surrounding villages. The area around the volcano on the island of Negros was still under evacuation orders when the latest eruption occurred.

"An explosive eruption is currently occurring at the summit vent of Kanlaon Volcano that began at 5:51 a.m. today," the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in a statement.

The volcano "is producing a voluminous bent plume approximately 4,000 meters tall that is drifting south-west," the statement added.

The eruption lasted nearly an hour and was reported to have stopped at 6:47 a.m. (2247 GMT on April 7), according to the institute.

Videos posted on social media showed a wide, billowing plume of smoke slowly stretching into the sky, a dramatic reminder of the volcano’s power.

"We were prepared for the eruption. The families within the 4 to 6 kilometers were already evacuated during the previous eruption last December," said John De Asis, a rescue official in Negros Occidental province's La Castellana municipality, in an interview with AFP.

"Right now we are just monitoring which villages will be affected by the ashfall," he added, noting that they were recommending the cancelation of classes and work in the municipality.

Channel Nicor, 22, said she was waiting for a bus to take her to school when the eruption struck.

"The sound seemed like a big rock had fallen from a high place, then I looked up and saw the (ash cloud) getting bigger and bigger from the volcano," she told AFP.

"When I saw the ash, of course I felt nervous, but not as nervous as the previous eruption, because this time we know what to do."

The Level 3 alert — on a scale of 5 — that had been put in place during December's eruption remained unchanged following the latest activity.

In September, hundreds of nearby residents were also evacuated after the volcano released thousands of tonnes of harmful gases in a single day.