Mount Kanlaon in Negros Island has unleashed a moderately explosive eruption on Thursday morning with ashfall reaching Canlaon City and midwest part of Cebu province.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) recorded the eruption, lasting three (3) minutes from 7:33 AM based on its seismic and infrasound records.

“This event generated a dark gray eruption plume that rose 2-3 kilometers above the crater before drifting to the general east,” PHIVOLCS said. 

“Poorly visible pyroclastic density currents or PDCs descended the southeastern slopes possibly within a kilometer of the summit crater as captured by the Upper Pantao Observation Station (VKUP) in Canlaon City,” the state volcanology institute added.

In an exclusive Daily Tribune interview, PHIVOLCS - Kanlaon Volcano Observatory (KVO) confirmed the recent volcanic activity of Mount Kanlaon, generating volcanic earthquakes and one explosion type of earthquake from the latest 12 a.m. to 12 noon monitoring on Thursday, July 9.

“The KVO Network recorded 14 volcanic quakes and one explosion type of earthquake based on seismic data, [wherein] the explosion occurred on 07:33 AM-07:36 AM, [lasting] three minutes,” resident volcanologist Mari-Andelyne Quintia said in a Viber message.

“Canlaon City and one barangay in San Carlos City reported ashfall in the Negros Island region, as well as several municipalities and cities in Cebu Province”, Quintia added.

Kanlaon ashfall reported in several barangays of Canlaon City including Binalbagan, Malaiba, Mabigo, Pula, Lumapao, Bayog, Panubigan, Aquino and parts of Linothangan and Masulog. 

PHIVOLCS meanwhile has intensified monitoring to detect new volcanic activities in Kanlaon and ensure the timely issuance of warnings to affected communities. 

“Our monitoring has been conducted 24/7 ever since. We are further intensifying it because there is [current major] activity [at Mount Kanlaon],” resident volcanologist Quintia told the Daily Tribune.  

The Canlaon city government immediately responded and distributed face masks to residents at major roads, and public areas across the city after the Kanlaon eruption.