Footage shows a massive cloud of gas and smoke rising from Mount Kanlaon, sparking panic among residents as it erupted.

Footage shows the worrying eruption that also caused ash to fall on surrounding homes in Negros Occidental province, the Philippines, on December 9.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) raised the alert level to 3 in Negros Island with traced movements of magma.

It said: 'All local government units are advised to evacuate the six-kilometre radius from the summit of the volcano and must be prepared for additional evacuation if activity warrants.'

Kanlaon is one of the 24 active volcanoes in the Philippines.

The Philippines is an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands inside the Pacific 'Ring of Fire' where the majority of Earth's volcano eruptions and earthquakes happen.