MT SINABUNG'S HUGE ASH PLUME TRIGGERS PANIC AMONG KARO LOCALS by Fardah

Jakarta, Feb 21, 2018 (Antara) - Several elementary schools were closed, with students and others fleeing in fear of a huge ash plume engulfing the summit of Mount Sinabung that had erupted quite powerfully on February 19, 2018.

         The towering plume of ash turned the morning light into dark in five sub-districts, with a visibility level of some five meters only. No one was injured in the eruption, which was accompanied by multiple earthquakes.

         Several nearby villages experienced a shower of small rocks, while hot clouds, with temperatures ranging between 600 and 800 degrees Celsius, went down the slope at a distance of 4.9 kilometers.

         According to the Geological Disaster Mitigation and Volcanology Center, the latest eruption was the strongest to have occurred this year. 
   The volcanic ash affected regions around Mount Sinabung, including Simpang Empat Sub-district, Naman Teran, Payung, Tiga Nderket, and Munthe.

        The eruption sent an ash cloud more than five thousand meters (16 thousand feet) into the air, triggering panic among local inhabitants and tourists in the affected villages.

         No one was killed following the eruption of Mount Sinabung located in Karo District, North Sumatra Province, at 8:53 a.m. local time on Monday (Feb 19), Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), noted in a statement.

         "People in the danger or red zones have all been evacuated to avoid the worst-case scenario," he remarked.

         According to a report from Karo District's BNPB office, no deaths were recorded and the number of evacuees increased, as all of them was relocated to temporary shelters and new homes set up by the BNPB.

         "Supplies that are urgently needed are masks and water to clear the volcanic ash covering streets and homes," he pointed out.

         Small gravel also rained down upon the five sub-districts and still continued in the villages of Kuta Mbaru and Kuta Rakyat until 10 a.m. local time.

         As the people living around Mount Sinabung had earlier witnessed the mountain's eruption, they immediately returned to normal activities after it subsided in the afternoon.

        Aircraft had not been allowed to pass around Mount Sinabung after the eruption.

        "The BNPB has raised the warning level for flights from orange to red," he noted.

        "The PVMBG (Geological Disaster Mitigation and Volcanology Agency) reported that the activity of Mount Sinabung is still high, with the alert status still on," he stated.

        The BNPB has appealed to people or tourists to not conduct activities within a three-kilometer radius from the peak.

        "We also appeal to people living along rivers to be alert over the potential danger of lava flow," he noted.

        Volcanic ash from Mount Sinabung's eruption had in fact affected villages as far as those in the districts of North Aceh and East Aceh in Aceh Darussalam Province, which is a neighbor of North Sumatra Province.

        Villagers in Aceh were concerned about their health following the volcanic ash fall.

        Tengku Munadi, a resident of Tanah Jambo Aye Sub-district, North Aceh District, remarked that the volcanic ash had spread to his neighborhood since Feb 19 at 8 p.m. local time until the next day.

        Munadi's statement was also confirmed by a resident of Madat Sub-district, East Aceh District, named Samsul Jalil, who claimed that ash emitted by Mount Sinabung had covered roofs of houses in his neighborhood.

        "We are certain that the volcanic dust has covered roofs, trees, motorcycles, and cars. It looks like grey granules. However, visibility on roads is still normal and free from smog," he remarked.

        Several local people took the initiative to donate masks and distribute them to local villages, particularly to motorbike riders.

       Dust from Mount Sinabung's eruption that has affected several regions in Aceh Province was dispersed by wind. Hence, Head of North Aceh's Disaster Mitigation Agency Munawar has urged locals to wear masks during their outdoor activities.

        After being inactive for four centuries, Mount Sinabung has sprung back to life since 2010 and has erupted sporadically. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced by the natural disaster.

        The government has, in stages, relocated the displaced people to new permanent settlement areas away from the volcano.  
   Mt Sinabung's eruption had claimed two lives in 2010 and 15 lives in 2015. 
   The last known eruption, prior to recent times, occurred in the year 1600.

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EDITED BY INE/A014

(T.F001/A/BESSR/A. Abdussalam) 21-02-2018