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Displaced people start to leave Karo as Mt Sinabung eruptions continue
One hundred and thirty-three people fled from the Mount Sinabung eruptions to Langkat regency, saying they needed a place that was free from the effects of the eruptions
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ne hundred and thirty-three people fled from the Mount Sinabung eruptions to Langkat regency, saying they needed a place that was free from the effects of the eruptions.
The number of internally displaced persons (IDPS) fleeing the slopes of Mt Sinabung in Karo regency, North Sumatra, has increased to 18,000 as the volcano continued to release pyroclastic clouds and volcanic material on Monday.
The IDPs are being accommodated at 22 evacuation sites, including in Telagah village, Sei Bingai district, Langkat regency.
The Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) recorded six eruptions as of midday Monday, but the intensity of the eruptions is less than Saturday evening's eruption.
Disaster response commander Lt.Col.Meyer Putong, who is also Tanah Karo Military commander, confirmed that several Karo residents had started to flee to border areas in Langkat regency.
Putong said the residents fled to Langkat as it was closer than evacuation sites in Karo.
'Residents have been gripped with fear, in particular when Sinabung erupted on Saturday evening. Since then, the flow of IDPs continues to increase,' he told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of a disaster relief coordination meeting in Kabanjahe, Karo regency, on Monday.
Kuat Tarigan, a resident of Kuta Rakyat village, said he and several other villagers chose to flee to Langkat as it was safe from the impacts of the eruptions.
'We left our village after the powerful eruption on Saturday evening and we arrived here [Langkat] on Sunday noon. We're exhausted, but we don't care as long as we're safe,' said Kuat, who has taken refuge in Telagah village, Sei Bingai district, Langkat.
The IDPs are from several villages ' such as Kuta Rakyat, Kebayaken and Kuta Gugung -- in Naman Teran district, Karo, according to Sei Bingai district head Akhyar. (ebf)
