Trendy News & Articles

An Indonesian volcano that had been dormant for more than four centuries erupted in western Indonesia early Sunday, causing thousands of people to flee their homes. Their abandoned homes and crops were blanketed in heavy, gray soot, and the air was thick with the smell of sulfur. Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra had been inactive for more than 400 years. It had been classified as inactive by the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation. Around 30,000 people were send into temporary camps as authorities ordered everyone within a six-kilometre (four-mile) radius to leave.

The Volcano spewing smokes up to over 2,000 meters high, potential to disturb international flight, Volcanology Agency and Meteorology Agency said. Spokesman of Transport Ministry Bambang Ervan said that the eruption is potential to diturb aviation. Ervan said,

"It will depend on the direction of wind blow. Should it direct to the north, it will hamper international flight because most of international flights to the main airport in the province and other airports in the island come from north and if the wind blow direct to the east, it will disturb domestic flight ."

Government volcanologist Agus Budianto said: "The volcano continues to spew smoke and ash but the cloud is only 50 metres high compared to 2,000 metres yesterday. Visually, its activities have significantly reduced.

"But our instruments have recorded continuous tremors in the volcano, which means that there is magma trying to push upward."

Officials said about 7,000 people had returned to their villages Tuesday but those from within the evacuation zone were not being allowed to go home.

"People are asking us if they can go home to tend to their animals and guard their homes but they're not allowed to leave the camps," disaster response official Mohammad Agus Widisono said.

The rumbling started a few days ago and the minor eruption early Sunday morning had mostly stopped. Mount Sinabung last erupted in 1600, so observers don't know the volcano's eruption pattern and are monitoring it closely for more activity. Evacuations on the volcano's slopes started Friday at the first signs of activity. Meanwhile, relief workers are now providing shelter and medical aid to the villagers who have been affected by the volcano's eruptions. The government has distributed thousands of face masks to refugees and set up public kitchens so people can cook food, said Priyadi Kardono, spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency.