Thousands flee as Mt Sinabung in Sumatra erupts

Image source: TheJakartaPost

The Jakarta Post reported that thousands of residents living in 11 villages in Karo regency, North Sumatra, fled to traditional meeting halls or jambur and houses of worship after Mount Sinabung erupted early on Sunday.

As of 1 p.m. local time, waves of people continued to flock to several jambur and houses of worship. Some were evacuated by local authorities in military and police trucks, while the remainder fled on their own initiative.

Residents have been asked to stay alert as there is a possibility of more eruptions. Residents who live within a radius of 3 km from the volcano are not allowed to go home.

Mt. Sinabung last erupted in August 2010, its first in 410 years. Thousands of residents fled, while several people died from smoke inhalation.

Mount Sinabung spews hot gas and ash during an eruption as seen from Gundaling village, Indonesia, 15 September 2013. - EPA/The Star

Indonesia has dozens of active volcanoes and straddles major tectonic fault lines known as the "Ring of Fire" between the Pacific and Indian oceans. Last month five people were killed and hundreds evacuated when a volcano on a tiny island in East Nusa Tenggara province erupted.

The country's most active volcano, Mount Merapi in central Java, killed more than 350 people in a series of violent eruptions in 2010. - AFP/The Star.



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