Indonesia’s Sinabung volcano erupts
Indonesia’s Mount Sinabung spewed a gigantic ash column three miles into the air and plunged local villages into darkness. Thick layers of ash covered areas up to 12 miles from the crater.
“Currently Mount Sinabung is at Level III (Alert) Status,” said Dr Devy Kamil Syahbana of the Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Centre
Video timelapse erupsi Gunung Sinabung 10 Agustus 2020 pukul 10:16 WIB. Video timelapse ini 30 kali lebih cepat dari waktu nyata. Sumber: CCTV Pos Sinabung @vulkanologi_mbg @id_magma pic.twitter.com/ou6SV5ipyN
— Dr. Devy Kamil Syahbana 🌋 (@volcanohawk) August 10, 2020
Authorities have advised residents and tourists to stay 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) away from the crater’s mouth and be aware of lava flows. No fatalities or injuries from the eruption has been reported as yet.
“We urge residents affected by the volcanic ash to protect themselves by wearing masks. We also urge everyone to reduce activities outside the home,” said Armen Putra, head of the Sinabung Volcano Observation Post, Geological Agency, and PVMBG.
But local disaster agency said that COVID-19 has complicated matters as panicking residents violated physical distancing rules.
The volcano, one of two currently erupting in Indonesia, was dormant for four centuries before exploding in 2010, killing two people. Another eruption in 2014 killed 16 people, while seven died in a 2016 eruption.
Mount Sinabung is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.