MANILA: A volcano in the central Philippines erupted on Monday spewing an eruption column of up to 3,000 metres (1.86 miles), the country’s seismology agency said.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said in an advisory it had raised its alert level to its third highest level.

The volcano is located in the central provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental.

“This means magmatic eruption has begun that may progress to further explosive eruption,” Phivolcs said in an advisory.

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The seismology agency had advised local governments in the volcano’s vicinity to evacuate people living near the volcano and must brace for further evacuations if warranted.

Mt. Kanlaon is one of the two dozen active volcanoes in the Philippines, which is in the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where volcanic activity and earthquakes are common.