Volcano in Philippines spews ash, steam; residents evacuated

Manila, June 7 After the Bulusan volcano in the Philippines' Sorsogon province spewed ash and steam, blanketing nearby towns and villages with ash, local residents were evacuated, authorities said.

Mark Timbal, spokesperson for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), said evacuation was underway for the locals to leave the area within the 4-km danger zone, reports Xinhua news agency.

"The relocation is still ongoing. All must leave the danger zone," he told local media late Monday.

The Philippine Coast Guard said it has helped evacuate 58 families in Juban town after Sunday's "phreatic eruption".

Phreatic eruption is a "steam-driven explosion that occurs when water beneath the ground or surface is directly heated by hot rocks or new volcanic deposits or indirectly by magma or magmatic gas".

Renato Solidum of the government's volcanology institute, said Bulusan continued to emit steam all through Monday.

"This would manifest the active hydrothermal activity beneath the volcano," he said.

Solidum said the institute recorded 29 volcanic earthquakes in the past 24 hours, adding that it was due to the ongoing hydrothermal activity.

Bulusan, located approximately 390 km southeast of Manila, has erupted 15 times since 1885 and is the fourth most active volcano in the Philippines after Mayon, Taal, and Kanlaon.

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