Grey ‘blanket’: Firefighters hosing down an ash-covered road in Juban town, Sorsogon province, a day after the eruption of Bulusan volcano. — AFP
The country has evacuated over 200 residents to temporary shelters after the Bulusan volcano in Sorsogon province spewed ash and steam, blanketing nearby towns and villages with ash, authorities said.
Mark Timbal, spokesperson for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), said that evacuation was underway to convince families to leave the area within the 4km danger zone.
“The relocation is still ongoing. All must leave the danger zone,” he told the local TV channel on Monday.
The Philippine Coast Guard said it has helped evacuate 58 families in Juban town after Sunday’s “phreatic eruption”.
Renato Solidum, of the government’s volcanology institute, said Bulusan volcano continued to emit steam on Monday.
“This would manifest the active hydrothermal activity beneath the volcano,” he added.
He said the institute recorded 29 volcanic earthquakes for the past 24 hours, adding that would be related to ongoing hydrothermal activity.
Bulusan volcano, approximately 600km southeast of Manila and one of the Philippines’ most active volcanoes, last erupted in June 2017.
In January 2018, the institute observed a few “weak emissions of white-steamed plumes” from the crater.
The Philippines is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity because it sits along the “Ring of Fire,” a region where giant tectonic plates collide, and active volcanoes follow the edges of the Pacific Ocean.
Mount Pinatubo on Luzon island erupted in June 1991 after being dormant for 400 years.
That eruption was considered the second largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century, killing hundreds of people.
The scenic Taal volcano, 66km south of Manila, rumbled back to life in January 2020 after 43 years.
The eruption affected over 500,000 people and caused millions of dollars in direct damage to infrastructure and agriculture in nearby affected provinces. — Xinhua
