Indonesia's Mount Sinabung volcano erupts, sending column of ash 4,500m into the sky

The volcano was dormant for 400 years, before erupting back into life in 2010, and has remained highly active ever since.

Megan Baynes
News reporter @megbaynes


Wednesday 28 July 2021

People watch as Mount Sinabung erupts in Karo, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Pic: AP

Indonesia's Mount Sinabung has erupted, sending a thick column of ash 4,500m into the air.

The eruption lasted for more than 12 minutes, a local geological agency said.

Villages near the volcano in North Sumatra province had already been relocated following previous eruptions, and there were no casualties, said Armen Putra, an official at the Sinabung monitoring post.

Mount Sinabung is one of more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia. Pic: AP

Indonesia's Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said: "The eruption column is thick grey, 4,500m high above the peak and inclined to the east and south."

"Hot clouds" have reaches as far as 1,000m south-east of the peak, it added.

An image shared by the agency showed billowing, dark smoke coming from the crater.

The volcano alert remains at level three, the second-highest level, where it has been since May 2019.


Mount Sinabung was dormant for 400 years, before erupting in 2010 and killing two people.

It erupted again in 2013 and has remained highly active ever since.

Sixteen people were killed in 2014, while another seven died in an eruption in 2016.

The last eruption was in early May when ash fell on nearby villages.

Villagers have been advised to stay 5km (3.1 miles) from the crater's mouth.

More than 30,000 people have been forced to leave their homes around the mountain in the past few years.

It is one of more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, with the country sitting on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" - a group of volcanoes and fault lines around the ocean's basin prone to seismic activity.

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Indonesia's erupting Sinabung volcano belches column of ash

Indonesia's Mount Sinabung erupted on Tuesday

morning, spewing out a massive column of smoke and ash 

BAHARI TARIGAN AFP

Medan (Indonesia) (AFP)

Indonesia's Mount Sinabung erupted on Tuesday morning, spewing a massive column of smoke and ash up to 5,000 metres (16,400 feet) into the sky.

The volcano on Sumatra island started blasting debris early in the morning, according to a local geological agency, which recorded 13 bursts.

Authorities have instructed residents to avoid a five-kilometre radius around the crater, a zone that has been left unoccupied for years as volcanic activity increased.

No evacuation orders have been issued, and there has been no reported flight disruption.

"There is no indication of increasing potential danger," the agency said in a statement.

Sinabung, a 2,460-metre (8,070-foot) volcano, was dormant for centuries before roaring back to life in 2010 when an eruption killed two people.

After another period of inactivity, it erupted again in 2013 and has remained highly active since.

In 2014, an eruption killed at least 16 people, while seven died in a 2016 blast.

Indonesia -- an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands and islets -- has nearly 130 active volcanoes.

It sits on the "Ring of Fire", a belt of tectonic plate boundaries circling the Pacific Ocean where frequent seismic activity occurs.

Mount Merapi on Java island, one of the world's most active volcanoes, also erupted this week, emitting lava on Monday.


© 2021 AFP

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Indonesia: Thousands evacuated as volcano erupts

Thousands of Indonesians have been forced to flee as Mount Ili Lewotolok pumps ash and noxious gas into the air. The volcano is one of three to erupt recently, prompting panic among local residents.


Indonesia's Mount Ili Lewotolok erupted on Sunday sending 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) of ash and smoke up into the air and forcing the evacuation of thousands of people, the country's Disaster Mitigation Agency said.

More than 2,700 people were evacuated from 28 villages on the slopes of the volcano, which is located on the eastern island of Lembata in the East Nusa Tenggara province.

Read more: Volcanic eruptions can cool the planet

Muhammad Ilhan, a 17-year-old who saw the eruption, told Reuters that local residents were "panicked and they're still looking for refuge an in need of money right now."

Despite the panic among locals, there were no reports of deaths or injuries following the eruption.

Threat level raised

The local airport closed as ash continued to fall across parts of the island. The Transportation Ministry also issued a flight warning for the region.

Authorities from the country's Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center raised the level of alert in the area from three to four — the second-highest — and recommended the use of masks in order to protect the eyes and skin from the damaging effects of the ash.

They also warned residents to stay 4 kilometers away from the volcanic crater as the area was likely inundated with "hot clouds, lava stream, lava avalanche, and poisonous gas."
'Ring of fire'

The 5,423 meter Mount Ili Lewotolok is the third volcano to erupt in recent months following the Merapi volcano on the island of Java and the Sinabung volcano on Sumatra.

Indonesia has 400 volcanoes across its 17,000 islands. There are 129 active volcanoes, of which some 65 are classified as dangerous.

The archipelago nation lies on the so-called "Ring of Fire" — a series of volcanoes and fault lines along the rim of the Pacific Ocean.

ab/rs (AP, EFE, Reuters)

Thousands flee as Indonesian volcano bursts to life
Issued on: 30/11/2020 -
  

Thousands have evacuated after Indonesia's Mount Ili Lewotolok erupted Sunday JOY CHRISTIAN AFP

Jakarta (AFP)

Thousands have fled the scene of a rumbling Indonesian volcano that burst to life for the first time in several years, belching a massive column of smoke and ash, the disaster agency said Monday.

The evacuation of more than 4,400 residents came as Mount Ili Lewotolok erupted Sunday, spouting a thick tower of debris four kilometres (2.5 miles) into the sky, triggering a flight warning and the closure of a local airport.

The crater's last major eruption was in 2017.

There were no reports of injuries or damage from the eruption in a remote part of the Southeast Asian archipelago.

But authorities advised residents to wear masks to protect themselves from volcanic ash spouting from the crater in East Nusa Tenggara -- the southernmost province of Indonesia -- and to be alert for possible lava flows.

"To minimise the health impact from volcanic ash, it is recommended that people wear a mask or other equipment to protect their eyes and skin," National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Raditya Jati said.

A two-kilometre no-go zone around the crater was also expanded to four kilometres after Sunday's eruption, while flights were advised to steer clear of the area as volcanic ash rained down on the local Wunopitu airport, which was temporarily closed.

In late 2018, a volcano in the strait between Java and Sumatra islands erupted, causing an underwater landslide that unleashed a tsunami which killed more than 400 people.

Indonesia's Mt. Sinabung blasts tower of smoke and ash into sky




Indonesia's Mount Sinabung erupted Monday, belching a massive column of ash and smoke 5,000 metres (16,400 feet) into the air and plunging local communities into darkness with a thick layer of debris.


The volcano on Sumatra island has been rumbling since 2010 and saw a deadly eruption in 2016.

Activity had picked up in recent days, including a pair of smaller eruptions at the weekend.

There were no reports of injuries or deaths from Monday morning's blast, but authorities warned of possible lava flows and more eruptions.

"This is an alert for all of us to avoid red-zone areas near Sinabung," said Armen Putera, a local official with Indonesia's Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Centre.

However, the crater's alert status remained at its second-highest level.

No one lives inside a previously announced no-go zone around the volcano.

Small communities nearby were coated in a layer of thick ash as at least one village went from day to night in a matter of minutes.

"It was like magic—when the ash came it went from being very bright to dark as night," said Rencana Sitepu, the head of Namanteran village, adding that some of the community's crops were destroyed by the fallout.

"The village went dark for about 20 minutes."

Mount Sinabung emits ash and smoke into the air

The coronavirus pandemic complicated matters as scared residents violated safety rules.

"Locals were gathering after the eruption without using face masks because they were all panicking," said local disaster agency chief Natanael Perangin-angin.

Sinabung had roared back to life in 2010 for the first time in 400 years. After another period of inactivity, it erupted once more in 2013, and has remained highly active since.

In 2016, seven people died in one of the eruptions, while another in 2014 killed 16.

In late 2018, a volcano in the strait between Java and Sumatra islands erupted, causing an underwater landslide and tsunami which killed more than 400 people.

Indonesia is home to about 130 active volcanoes due to its position on the "Ring of Fire", a belt of tectonic plate boundaries circling the Pacific Ocean where frequent seismic activity occurs.

Explore further Indonesia's Mt. Sinabung shoots column of smoke and ash into sky

© 2020 AFP

Indonesia's Mt. Sinabung blasts tower of smoke and ash into sky

Issued on: 10/08/2020 

AFP

Medan (Indonesia) (AFP)

Indonesia's Mount Sinabung erupted Monday, belching a massive column of ash and smoke 5,000 metres (16,400 feet) into the air and coating local communities in debris.

The volcano on Sumatra island has been rumbling since 2010 and saw a deadly eruption in 2016.

Activity had picked up in recent days, including a pair of smaller eruptions at the weekend.

There were no reports of injuries or deaths, but authorities warned of possible lava flows.

"People living nearby are advised to be on alert for the potential appearance of lava," Indonesia's Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Centre said in a statement.

The crater's alert status remained at the second-highest level.

No one lives inside a previously announced no-go zone around the volcano, but small communities nearby were coated in a layer of thick ash from Monday's eruption.

Sinabung roared back to life in 2010 for the first time in 400 years. After another period of inactivity it erupted once more in 2013, and has remained highly active since.

In 2016, seven people died in one of Sinabung's eruptions, while a 2014 eruption killed 16.

In late 2018, a volcano in the strait between Java and Sumatra islands erupted, causing an underwater landslide that unleashed a tsunami which killed more than 400 people.

Indonesia is home to about 130 active volcanoes due to its position on the "Ring of Fire", a belt of tectonic plate boundaries circling the Pacific Ocean where frequent seismic activity occurs.

© 2020 AFP