Raymundo S. Punongbayan, 68; Leading Volcanologist
Raymundo S. Punongbayan, 68, a former director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology and an internationally known volcanologist, died April 28 in a helicopter crash in the Philippines.
Punongbayan, governor of the Philippine Red Cross, was flying to inspect Aurora, a town that was devastated by landslides and floods in December. Four scientists and staff members from the institute also were killed in the crash, as well as two crew members and two soldiers.
Under Punongbayan’s leadership, the Philippine Institute conducted the initial investigations and sounded the first warnings about volatile conditions around Mt. Pinatubo, two months before the volcano erupted in 1991. The warnings helped facilitate an evacuation, saving possibly 20,000 lives.
Punongbayan headed the institute from 1983 until his retirement in 2002. He earned his bachelor’s degree in geology at the University of the Philippines and his PhD in geology from the University of Colorado. He was awarded the Sergey Soloviev Medal by the European Geophysical Society for 2003.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
