Residents cover their faces to protect themselves from volcanic ash that blanketed the part of Irosin town following Mount Bulusan volcano's "phreatic eruption" on Sunday June 18, 2006 in Sorsogon province about 390 kilometers (240 miles) southeast of Manila, Philippines. (Photo: Xinhua/AFP)

MANILA, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Mount Bulusan, the active volcano in Sorsogon Province in the central Philippines, on Sunday afternoon spewed huge volumes of ash again, as local residents were being evacuated by authorities, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Sesimology (PHIVOLCS) said.

    The Bulusan Volcano erupted this time with a column of ash two kilometers high that drifted towards the west, a GMA TV report quoted an official of the PHIVOLCS as saying.

    A huge, dark-gray column of ash was rising above the clouds, blanketing Bulusan's upper slopes, the GMA news footage showed.

    The explosion, which occurred at 3:53 p.m. on Sunday, was Bulusan's eighth and strongest activity since late March this year, according to the report.

    Earlier on Sunday, the PHIVOLCS said they recorded four volcanic quakes over the last 24 hours but that Bulusan's steam emissions appeared to have weakened.

    The PHIVOLCS also warned about the possibility of more explosions in the coming days, the report added. The authority maintained the Alert Level 2 it had raised over Bulusan and warned people against staying within the four-kilometer permanent danger zone.

    Another TV report said that the Army was conducting "clearing operations" within the danger zone around Bulusan in advance of massive evacuations scheduled for Monday.

    An estimated 50,000 people in six towns of Sorogon Province would be evacuated in the event of a big eruption that may cause mudslide, according to the Office of Civil Defense. Enditem