Mt. Bulusan belches ash anew in low-energy explosion

LEGAZPI CITY—Mt. Bulusan spewed a 300-meter-high dirty white ash plume Sunday afternoon, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said in a bulletin.

The Phivolcs bulletin said the “phreatic” or steam-driven explosion started at around 1:03 p.m. and lasted for seven minutes with ashes drifting towards the northwest.

Eduardo Laguerta, resident volcanologist of Phivolcs based in Legazpi, described the steam-driven explosion as “low energy” which could not even rise out of the crater of the volcano.

Raden Dimaano, head of Sorsogon Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said some towns in the province were experiencing thin ash fall.

“We are still waiting for Phivolcs’ report but because of light rains, the ashfall is somehow controlled,” he said.

Last June 10, the volcano spewed a 2-kilometer-high grayish ash plume that drifted towards the northwest during its  “phreatic” eruption which affected 19 villages in Sorsogon. JE/rga

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