Indonesian volcano erupts, hundreds evacuated Hundreds were evacuated within a 3-kilometer radius of an Indonesian volcano in Sumatra, which erupted for the third time in three months, officials told Reuters. No casualties were reported. Mount Sinabung ejected a 7km-high plume of ash into the air on Sunday, which led to the evacuation. Four villages with around 1,293 inhabitants around the mountain were pulled out with the aid of the military; however, that number is expected to rise. The distance to the provincial capital, Medan, is approximately 88 kilometers. Just one month prior to Sunday’s eruption, an estimated 14,000 people were displaced when volcanic activity gave worrying signs. Mount Sinabung is but one of nearly 130 active volcanoes, all in a country with the fourth largest population on the planet. The most severe incident in recent years was the eruption of Mount Merapi in the densely populated city of Yogykarta, in 2010, claiming 350 lives.
Posted on: Mon, 04 Nov 2013 11:52:01 +0000