DUMAGUETE CITY, July 9 -- Volcanic ash and rock fragments from the moderately explosive eruption of Mt. Kanlaon on Tuesday have reached parts of Cebu province, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said Thursday.

Phivolcs Volcano Observatory resident geologist Andylyn Quintia said easterly winds carried volcanic ash across Negros Island to western Cebu.

"The ashfall was confirmed in the Cebu towns of Balamban, Toledo, Pinamungahan, and Aloguinsan around 9 a.m.," Quintia said.

According to a Phivolcs bulletin, the eruption occurred at about 7:33 a.m. Tuesday and lasted around three minutes. It generated a dark gray ash plume that rose two to three kilometers above the summit crater before drifting eastward. ...