SORSOGON CITY—At least 2,000 people living around Mount Bulusan fled their homes as the volcano spewed ash and thick smoke for 19 minutes over three towns on Monday. The latest ash explosion, recorded at 9:12 a.m., was three kilometers high and accompanied by rumbling heard up to 10 km away in Juban town, said Eduardo Laguerta, resident volcanologist of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) in Sorsogon.
Ashfall spread to as far as 30 km away in Masbate, Laguerta said.
Residents of Juban, Irosin and Bulan left their houses on board military trucks sent by the Army’s 49th Infantry Battalion.
Classes suspended
Classes in all levels were suspended in the three towns, with most of the schools used as evacuation centers for affected families.
With the thick smoke and ashfall, visibility was zero in practically all affected areas up to Monday noon, Laguerta said.
The Phivolcs has maintained alert level 1 in Bulusan, but it may raise the warning status if conditions worsen, Laguerta said.
Monday’s explosion was the highest ash column recorded since November 6, 2010, when the volcano spewed ash and steam, he said.
The Phivolcs described the source of the activity as “hydrothermal and shallow,” indicating that steam-driven pressure was building up at the volcano’s vent.
Wet towels
Local officials of the affected areas did away with waiting for face masks to be distributed and instead called on radio stations to tell residents to use wet towels to avoid inhaling dust particles, according to information gathered from soldiers on the ground by the Army’s 9th Infantry Division spokesperson, Maj. Harold Cabunoc.
Thirty-eight students from Irosin and Bulan were reported to have suffered suffocation due to the thick ashfall and smoke, Cabunoc said.
He said responding soldiers also received reports of power outages in the affected areas, aside from intermittent communication signals and contaminated sources of potable water.
Traces of moderate ashfalls were observed on Ticao Island in Masbate, while light ashfall was noted on top of vehicles, establishment and houses in Masbate City proper at about 9:45 a.m., said Ernie Delgado, Philippine Information Agency information center manager in the island-province.
The Masbate City Health Office immediately distributed green surgical masks to residents, Delgado said.
Rey Nasol, Mar Arguelles & Joey Gois, Phil. Daily Inquirer
