Kanlaon Volcano erupted early Tuesday morning, sending a plume of ash 4,000 meters into the sky and prompting calls for local school cancellations.

"An explosive eruption is currently occurring at the summit vent of Kanlaon Volcano that began at 5:51 am today," the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in a statement.

The volcano "is producing a voluminous bent plume approximately 4,000 meters tall that is drifting southwest", it said.

Videos posted on social media showed a wide, billowing plume of smoke slowly stretching into the sky.

La Castellana, Negros Occidental Mayor Rhummyla Mangilimutan said ash fall from the volcano has affected the villages of Mansalanao and Sag-Ang.

The mayor said the winds are carrying the ash and steam from the volcano in a southwest direction towards La Carlota.

“Tuloy-tuloy ang usok sa bunganga, ‘yung maitim na usok, at sa gilid meron din. Super dilim na ‘yung part papuntang La Carlota,” she said in a separate interview. 

Classes in the municipality have been suspended, the mayor said, while the emergency management team has been placed on alert.

Some 1,300 residents are currently staying in evacuation centers, she said. With Agence France-Presse