Manila, December 10 (AP) About 87,000 people were evacuated to safe places after a volcano erupted in the central region of the Philippines on Tuesday. After the volcano erupted, a huge plume of gas and ash was seen coming out and extremely hot lava along with the debris was seen flowing down the western slopes. There were no immediate casualties in the recent eruption of Mount Kanlaon volcano on central Negros island, but the alert level has been raised to a higher level due to the possibility of a more intense eruption. Philippine chief volcanologist Teresito Bacolcol and other officials said by telephone that volcanic ash fell into an area of sea more than 200 kilometers west of the volcano, including the province of Antique. The ash cloud reduced visibility and posed a health hazard. At least six domestic flights and one flight to Singapore were canceled and two local flights were diverted on Monday and Tuesday due to the eruption of the Kanlaon volcano, according to the Philippine Civil Aviation Authority. The Civil Protection Office said mass evacuations were being carried out immediately from nearby towns and villages on the western and southern slopes of Kanlaon. This also includes the city of La Castellana in Negros Occidental, where about 47,000 people are to be evacuated from the danger zone within a six-kilometer radius. Mayor Rumila Mangilimutton told The Associated Press (AP) by telephone that more than 6,000 people had been evacuated to evacuation centers as of Tuesday morning. Apart from this, many people have gone to their relatives’ homes in La Castellana for a few days. Authorities have closed schools and imposed nightly curfews in the most sensitive areas. AP Surbhi Manisha Manisha
