Indonesians flee erupting volcano
Atar
An Indonesian volcano spewed a vast cloud of smoke and ash high into
the air on Monday, disrupting flights and sending thousands more people
into temporary shelters.
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An Indonesian woman carrying a child observes the eruption of
Mount Sinabung. AFP |
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A villager on a motorcycle navigates a road filled with volcanic
ash from Mount Sinabung eruption. AFP |
Airlines were warned to avoid remote Mount Sinabung in northern
Sumatra as it erupted for a second day after springing to life for the
first time in four centuries.
“It erupted again at 6:30 a.m. and lasted about 15 minutes. The smoke
and ash reached at least 2,000 metres,” government volcanologist Agus
Budianto sa
id.
The eruption was bigger than Sunday’s when the 2,460-metre Sinabung
rumbled into action for the first time since 1600, adding its name to
the list of 69 active volcanoes in the sprawling Southeast Asian
archipelago.
About 27,000 people are staying at the temporary shelters on Monday
and 7,000 more are expected, Disaster Management Agency spokesman
Priyadi Kardono said.
“We’re expecting the number to rise to 34,000. That’s the total
number of people living within the six-kilometre radius of the volcano.
The rest are on their way,” he added. Authorities have ordered everyone
within the six-kilometre ‘danger zone’ to leave.
Twenty shelters have been set up to accommodate people who began to
evacuate their villages as ash and stones fell around the fertile
farming area early Sunday. “They’re all quite happy to stay at the
shelters, nobody thinks it’s safe to go home yet,” Kardono said.
Witnesses said a strong smell of sulphur filled the air and many people
fled their homes on foot before receiving the order to evacuate.
Marsita Sembiring, a vegetable farmer, said she fled Sukanalu village
- which is about four kilometres from the volcano - with her husband and
four children.
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A thick smoke spews from the summit of Mount Sinabung as it
erupts on August 31, 2010, seen from Tanah Karo in North
Sumatra. AFP |
They spent Sunday at a shelter in the town of Kabanjahe, 20
kilometres from Sinabung, but returned to the village for the night to
protect their home from looters.
“It also rained last night and we were sure that the volcano would
become calmer, so we decided to stay overnight in our house,” she said.
But fresh eruptions Monday convinced her to take her family to safety
again.
“This morning it erupted again. We panicked as the smoke was rising
very high. I’m so worried that the smoke is poisonous,” the 41-year-old
woman said.
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Villagers living close to the erupting Mount Sinabung gather at
a temporary shelter in Karo district in North Sumatra on August
31, 2010. Thousands of Indonesians spent a third day in shelters
as a volcano threatened a devastating eruption on Sumatra
island, officials said. AFP |
Aircraft were ordered to avoid the area and travellers to North
Sumatra province were warned of possible delays, transport ministry
spokesman Bambang Ervan said.
“It may affect flight traffic to and from the province. It all
depends on the direction of the wind,” he told AFP. Several domestic
flights had to be cancelled on Sunday due to the smoke, he said.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, where the meeting of
continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity. It has
more active volcanoes than any other country.
Television footage showed black smoke shooting up into the sky and
lava overflowing from the crater as residents fled the area in pickup
trucks and cars.
Government volcanologist Budianto said the volcano’s long sleep had
made it difficult for experts to read.
“We hope that the eruptions have significantly reduced the energy
accumulated inside the mountain.
AFP |
