MEDAN, Indonesia (AP) – A raging volcano in western Indonesia on Sunday unleashed an avalanche of burning clouds at its slopes.
Authorities are checking Mount Sinabung on Sumatra, one of Indonesia’s most important islands, after sensors picked up increasing activity in recent weeks.
The volcano in northern Sumatra province on Sunday morning shook smoke and ash more than 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) into the air, and hot ash clouds traveled 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) southeast, the Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center said. of Indonesia.
Villagers were advised to stay 5 miles from the crater’s mouth and they should be aware of the danger of lava, the agency said. Air travel has so far not been affected by the ash, the transport ministry said.
There were no casualties from the eruption, said Armen Putra, an official at the Sinabung surveillance post. He said villages outside the red zone were not in immediate danger.
Some 30,000 people have been forced to leave houses around Sinabung in recent years.
The 2,600-meter (8,530-foot) Sinabung was dormant for four centuries before exploding in 2010 and killing two people. Another eruption in 2014 killed 17 people, while seven died in a 2016 eruption.
The volcano, one of two currently erupting in Indonesia, has been sporadic since death.
Sinabung is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which is envious of seismic conditions due to its location on the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines around the Pacific Basin.
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