Mount Sinabung eruption damages forests, agriculture
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 08/29/2010 2:55 PM
Fire spewing from an eruption at Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra blazed nearby forests and agricultural fields on Sunday.
Around 3,740 hectares of forest and farming fields were burned by lava, volcanic ashes and fire surging from Mt. Sinabung, NGO Penyelamat Nusantara secretary Syafii Tarigan said.
“Our markets, homes and roads are covered with white ash. Clouds of smoke drifting from hot ash and lava are still visible,” Syafii said, as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.
The eruption, which occurred early Sunday morning, forced around 12,000 villagers from 17 nearby villages to seek refuge in nearby Kabanjahe, Tanah Karo.
The 2,400-meter mountain has shown signs of volcanic instability since it began discharging thick black clouds on Saturday.
