Mass evacuation after eruption! Volcano drives thousands to flee

Manila (Philippines) - Yesterday, Monday, the Kanlaon volcano in the Philippines sent up an ash cloud up to 4000 meters high , forcing thousands of people to flee.

An eruption lasting almost four minutes kept the Philippine population on tenterhooks on Monday afternoon. A torrent of hot ash, gases and volcanic rock was hurled into the air.

As reported by"CBS News", the volcanic ash spread over a wide area, endangering the health of many people in the surrounding villages.

The head of volcano monitoring at the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology warned of the health consequences of the pyroclastic flows for the population, as they would bury and burn everything and everyone underneath them.

And so thousands of people were evacuated to a more central part of the country today, Tuesday.

Up to 47,000 people from the Negros Occidental region alone now have to leave their homes, as the national alert level has been raised due to the renewed threat of eruptions.

More than 6,000 people had already gone to evacuation centers or sought shelter with relatives. Domestic flights and a flight to Singapore also had to be canceled due to the eruption.

According to"ABC News", President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. promised the evacuees comprehensive support: "We are ready to support the families who were evacuated outside the six-kilometer danger zone."

As the government is monitoring the air quality with concern, further mass evacuations are possible.