Indonesia: hundreds evacuated as Mt. Egon volcano erupts
More than 1,200 people were evacuated from their homes on January 19 as Mt. Egon volcano, in the eastern Flores island of Indonesia, spewed ashes and toxic gas into the air.
Jakarta (VNA) – More than 1,200 people were evacuated from their homes on January 19 as Mt. Egon volcano, in the eastern Flores island of Indonesia, spewed ashes and toxic gas into the air.
All residents within three kilometers of the volcano were forced to evacuate, and roads were also closed.
Officials said they have distributed thousands of gas masks to villagers around the mountain, and said they were prepared to issue a wide-scale evacuation order if the situation deteriorates further.
Mt. Egon began rumbling last month and has become more active in recent days.
During its last eruption in 2008, the mountain blasted smoke and volcanic material nearly six km into the atmosphere.
Mt. Egon is one of 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which sits on the Ring of Fire, a belt of seismic activity running aroundꦡ the basin of the Pacific Ocean.-VNA
Mount Sinabung in Karo, north Sumatra, Indonesia, has spewed hot clouds sliding 4.5km to the east and southeast, with ash columns billowing up to 4km over the past days.
The Mount Sinabung volcano in Karo district of Indonesia's North Sumatra province is facing elevated risks of eruption, according to the Indonesian National Agency for Disaster Management’s (BNPB) recent issuance of the highest level of alert.
Nearly 3,000 Indonesians have been evacuated from their homes after the country’s National Agency for Disaster Management elevated the threat posed by Mount Sinabung volcano on Sumatra island to the highest possible level.
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Aircraft are prohibited from flying below 6,000 metres in the vicinity of the volcano, and should also remain alert to the presence of volcanic ash, which can disrupt flights.
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