The Department of Tourism (DOT) suspended on Wednesday, April 9, all tourism activities near Kanlaon Volcano as the number of persons displaced by its most recent explosive eruption increased to 20,000.
In an advisory, the DOT said no reported injuries or damage to tourism-related establishments were recorded following the April 8 explosion.
“However, all tourism activities near Mt. Kanlaon, including treks and visits to nearby destinations such as La Carlota City, Bago City, La Castellana, and other surrounding areas in Negros Occidental, have been temporarily suspended,” it noted.
The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said a total of 48,850 individuals were affected by the explosion in 28 barangays in Western Visayas (Region 6) and Central Visayas (Region 7).
Of those affected, there were 8,332 individuals or 2,610 families that were staying in 22 evacuation centers while 11,889 individuals or 3,701 families were with their relatives or friends’ homes.
Ashfall was reported in various barangays in La Carlocta City and La Castellana in Negros Occidental, as well as parts of Guimaras and the provinces of Iloilo and Antique.
The local government of Canlaon City in Negros Oriental has enforced a strict prohibition on entry into the six-kilometer extended danger zone surrounding the volcano.
“Consequently, tourist attractions in Canlaon City have remained closed since the elevation to Alert Level 2,” the DOT said.
The tourism department advised travelers to postpone any travel plan to affected areas and to adhere to safety measures established by local authorities.
Kanlaon Volcano had a moderately explosive eruption on April 8 which lasted for 56 minutes. Based on seismic and visual recordings, it generated a gray voluminous plume that slowly rose to 4,000 meters above the vent before bending and drifting west and southwest.
Pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) descended the southern slopes within a kilometer of the crater, in the jurisdiction of La Castellana, based on visual and thermal camera monitoring. Large ballistic fragments were also observed to have been thrown around the crater within a few hundred meters and caused burning of vegetation near the volcano summit.
Alert Level 3 (magmatic unrest) remains hoisted over Kanlaon Volcano, which means that the explosive eruption may be followed by similar short-lived ones in the short term or even progress to lava eruptions that generate lava flows and lava fountaining activity.