Thousands flee as Philippine volcano erupts

February 22, 2011

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By Jomar Gabionza | AFP News – Mon, 21 Feb, 2011 9:19 AM EST

Thousands of people in the Philippines fled their homes as a volcano erupted on

Monday, sending a spectacular column of ash high into the sky, residents said.

The eruption of Bulusan, a 1,559-metre (5,115-foot) volcano, turned mid-morning

into night for about 20 minutes across largely farming areas around its slopes,

regional army spokesman Major Harold Cabunoc told AFP.

" There was a major ashfall. There was zero visibility, " Cabunoc said.

State volcanologist Ramil Vaquilar told AFP that rumbling sounds accompanied the

ash column that rose between two and 2.5 kilometres (1.2-1.6 miles) above the

crater.

About 2,000 residents were evacuated from three farming villages in the area as

the government banned people from within four kilometres of the crater, said

Lieutenant-Colonel Santiago Enginco, the local army commander.

Thirty-eight high school students were treated for ashfall inhalation, Enginco

said.

Volcanic ash can cause nose, throat, eye or skin irritation as well as

contaminate tap water, while prolonged exposure can cause lung disease,

according to the health ministry.

Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology director Renato Solidum said

on national television that planes should avoid the skies over Bulusan, as ash

might clog jet engines.

However the area is not widely used in the aviation industry.

Bulusan is among 23 active volcanoes in the Philippines, which is located in the

so-called Ring of Fire of volcanic activity around the Pacific.

Bulusan, 360 kilometres southeast of Manila, last erupted between March and June

of 2006.

The volcano also shot ash into the air in November last year, forcing hundreds

of people to evacuate their homes.

However volcanologists said this was not an eruption, rather heated ash deposits

near the crater mouth that exploded and burst out on contact with rainwater.

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