Indonesia’s Mount Sinabung erupts, volcanic ash blankets Berastagi

Jakarta, Aug 31 (IANS) Mount Sinabung in Indonesia’s North Sumatra province erupted Monday morning, sending volcanic ash over the nearby city of Berastagi, a local monitoring official said.

Armen Putra, head of the Sinabung Volcano Observation Post, said a thick, dark ash column rose about 3,500 meters above the summit and drifted east and southeast.

The eruption was recorded on a seismogram with a maximum amplitude of 120 millimetres and lasted about one hour. Volcanic ash blanketed roads and vehicles in Berastagi, reducing visibility in the area, Xinhua news agency reported.

Authorities urged residents to wear masks and remain vigilant, while schools in affected areas advised students and teachers to wear masks when outdoors.

Mount Sinabung remains at Level II, or Alert status. Activities are prohibited within a three-kilometre radius of the summit and within 4.5 kilometres in the southeast sector. Residents near rivers originating from the volcano have also been warned of potential lahar flows.

In May, three people were killed after Mount Dukono erupted in Indonesia’s North Maluku province.

Mount Dukono erupted at around 7:40 am local time on May 8, sending a column of volcanic ash up to about 10 km into the sky.

Local rescue authorities warned residents not to carry out activities within a 4-km radius of the crater and cautioned that volcanic mudflows could occur during rainfall.

Mount Dukono had also erupted in February earlier this year, prompting the country’s Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Centre to issue an aviation warning.

The volcano, situated on Halmahera Island, spewed a column of ash up to 2,000 metres into the sky. Thick white-to-grey clouds drifted south of the crater.

To mitigate the risks posed to aviation, a Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation (VONA) had been issued at the orange level, the second-highest warning, prohibiting planes from flying below 5 km around the volcano.

Aircraft were asked to exercise caution regarding ash clouds, which can disrupt flights.

–IANS

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