Aerial photo shows an ash-covered town after the phreatic eruption of Bulusan volcano in Sorsogon Province, the Philippines on June 5, 2022. (Sorsogon Provincial Information Office/Handout via Xinhua)
Mark Timbal, spokesperson for the Philippine National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), said evacuation was underway to convince local residents to leave the 4-km danger zone of Bulusan volcano in Sorsogon province.
MANILA, June 7 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines has evacuated over 200 residents to temporary shelters after Bulusan volcano in Sorsogon province spewed ash and steam on Sunday, blanketing nearby towns and villages with ash, authorities said on Monday.
Mark Timbal, spokesperson for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), said evacuation was underway to convince families to leave the area within the 4-km danger zone.
Dark plumes of ash and steam are seen during the phreatic eruption of Bulusan volcano in Sorsogon Province, the Philippines on June 5, 2022. (Sorsogon Provincial Information Office/Handout via Xinhua)
"The relocation is still ongoing. All must leave the danger zone," he told the local TV channel.
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 said.
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 600 km 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.
Aerial photo shows an ash-covered town after the phreatic eruption of Bulusan volcano in Sorsogon Province, the Philippines on June 5, 2022. (Sorsogon Provincial Information Office/Handout via Xinhua)
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, 66 km 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. ■
