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Mt. Sinabung in N. Sumatra erupts again
Mount Sinabung in Karo regency, North Sumatra, began spewing thick ash and rocks on Tuesday at 12 p
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ount Sinabung in Karo regency, North Sumatra, began spewing thick ash and rocks on Tuesday at 12 p.m. The eruption caused panic among residents living around the volcano, and they fled to nearby shelters in Kabanjahe and Berastagi.
A Berastepu resident, Jenda Sembiring, said she was farming when the volcano erupted.
'Our village was safe when the volcano first erupted [on Sunday] and it was not included in the evacuation zone. Therefore, I kept on farming. But this latest eruption was stronger and it scared me. I decided to evacuate because the ash was very thick,' Jenda said at a shelter in Kabanjahe on Tuesday.
Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) head M. Hendrasto said further eruptions could not be ruled out.
'Since the eruption in 2010, the core in the volcano has burst open. So, there remains a possibility that the volcano will erupt again,' he said.
'We are still applying the alert status. Locals are not allowed to venture within a 3-kilometer radius of the volcano,' he added.
Separately, the head of North Sumatra's Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), Asren Nasution, said the latest eruption had forced many residents who had previously returned home to seek shelter on safer ground. As of Tuesday afternoon, there were 6,259 evacuees in eight shelters across the regency.
