Islands in focus: Residents restless after Mt. Sinabung eruption

The Jakarta Post, March 30 2016,


Residents living around Mount Sinabung in Karo Regency, North Sumatra, are afraid to leave their houses after increasing volcanic activity over the past two days.

On Tuesday, Sinabung erupted at least three times, spewing volcanic ash to heights of up to 2,500 meters and pyroclastic flows reaching as far as 2 kilometers.

A farmer from Gurukinayan village, Warga Sembiring, said he was surprised by the eruption as it had been a while since Sinabung last erupted.

“The eruption this morning was quite large. Many people who had gone to the fields returned home immediately,” he said.

Another local, Ahmad Sitepu, said he hoped that the volcanic activity would decrease soon so residents could return to tending their fields.

Head of the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center’s (PVMBG) Mount Sinabung observation post, Armen Putra, said eruptions would continue in line with the increased seismic activity.



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