Sun 03 January 2021:
Mount Sinabung on Indonesia’s Sumatra island erupted on Sunday, firing ash and other volcanic materials as high as 1,000 meters into the sky.
Armen Putra, head of the Sinabung observation team, said the first eruption occurred at 9:34 a.m. (02:34 GMT), while the second one at 12:16 p.m. (05:16 GMT).
He urged local residents to remain vigilant, considering the status of Mount Sinabung has risen to alert or level III.
“Do not carry out activities in villages that have been relocated, as well as areas within a 3-kilometer radius of the Mount Sinabung’s peak,” said Armen.
He asked residents to wear face masks, especially when going outside to reduce inhalation of ash particles, and advised them to secure clean water facilities and clean house roofs that are covered with ash to prevent them from collapsing.
“Residents should be on alert of the possible lava flow,” the official added.
Mount Sinabung is one of more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which is prone to seismic activity on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a ring of volcanoes and moving fault lines that surround the ocean.
Mount Sinabung had been inactive for centuries until it erupted again in 2010. It has been active ever since, occasionally erupting.
An eruption in 2014 killed 16 people, while seven died in a 2016 eruption. Tens of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes around the active volcano over the past few years.
File Photo
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