Column of ash from Mount Soputan in Indonesia's Sulawesi island (Source: sciencealert.com)Hanoi (VNA) – Mount Soputan inSulawesi island of Indonesia emitted column of ash on October 3 morning whilelocal people are struggling to overcome consequences of the recent earthquakesand tsunami.
The Indonesian Center for Volcanology andGeological Hazard Mitigation (CVGHM) said the 1,809-metre high volcano in NorthSulawesi province erupted at 8:47 am local time, spewing ash column of 4,000metres.
Spokesman of the Indonesian National Board forDisaster Management (BNPB) Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said volcanic ash may fall inthe north western region of the volcano.
Local authorities have distributed masks andordered residents to refrain from entering the area within a 4- to6.5-kilometre radius around Mount Soputan.
Residents ofriverbank settlements near the mountain were also warned of thepotential for lava flows following rain.
There has been no report on casualties anddamage after the eruption.
North Sulawesi borders Central Sulawesiprovince, which was recently hit by two earthquakes and tsunami. Death tollfrom the disasters rose to nearly 1,400.
Rescuers led by the Indonesian armed forceshave raced against time to search for missing people under wreckage ofbuildings. Meanwhile, aid for survivors has become urgent as traffic roads hadbeen severely damaged, causing difficult access to affected areas.
The Australian Government announced ahumanitarian aid package worth 5 million AUD (over 3.5 million USD) and sent amedical team of more than 50 people to support Indonesia.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne said Australiawould be working very closely with Indonesia to make sure support is highlytargeted.
Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi province wasravaged by two quakes measuring 6.1 and 7.5 on the Richter scale on September28. A 6m tsunami hit the shores after the second quake struck the area in theafternoon of the same day, which destroyed thousands of houses andconstructions. As many as 48,000 people have been evacuated.
Indonesia is prone to quake as it sits on avulnerable quake-affected area called the Pacific Ring of Fire. –VNA
