A map shows significant active volcanoes in the Philippines, including Kanlaon Volcano. Graphic by John Saeki/AFP via Getty Images The Associated Press contributed to this report.

There are around 450 active volcanoes in the Pacific Ring of Fire - 127 in Indonesia alone. In 2010, the Merapi on Java erupted, shooting clouds of ash 18 kilometres up into the sky.

The Pacific Ring of Fire is a horseshoe-shaped belt of volcanoes known for explosive eruptions and intense earthquakes.

A volcano in the central Philippines erupted on Tuesday morning, ejecting an ash-laden plume reaching around 4,000 metres (2.5 miles) high, the seismology agency said.

The area on the island of Negros around Kanlaon Volcano, one of 24 active volcanoes in the Southeast Asian nation, was still under evacuation orders from an eruption in December.