Manila, Dec 9 (IANS): The Kanlaon volcano in Philippines erupted on Monday, spewing a column of ash and gas into the sky, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.

An explosive eruption occurred at the summit vent of the Kanlaon Volcano on Monday afternoon, the institute said in an alert-level bulletin.

"The eruption produced a voluminous plume that rapidly rose to 3,000 metres above the vent and drifted west-southwest," Xinhua news agency reported.

Kanlaon, also known as Mount Kanlaon and Kanlaon Volcano is an active andesitic stratovolcano and the highest mountain on the island of Negros in the Philippines, as well as the highest peak in the Visayas, with an elevation of 2,465 metres above sea level. Mount Kanlaon ranks as the 42nd-highest peak of an island in the world.

The volcano straddles the provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental, approximately 30 kilometres southeast of Bacolod, the capital and most populous city of Negros Occidental and whole island. It is one of the active volcanoes in the Philippines and part of the Pacific Ring of Fire.