Island volcano erupts, islanders flee to safety<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A loud explosion from Mt. Sakura yesterday shook
\nthe people of the Togian Islands in the Gorontalo Bay in Central
\nSulawesi, where fears of a greater eruption grow by the day.<\/p>\n
In total, Mt. Sakura, an island volcano near the Unauna
\nisland, has erupted 18 times since it was first heard on Friday,
\nAntara reported yesterday.<\/p>\n
At least 1,000 people living on the island of Unauna and on
\nthe slopes of the Sakura have been evacuated to Togian Island,
\nthe news agency said, adding that there have been deaths
\nreported.<\/p>\n
The loud explosion in the early hours yesterday came with a
\ntremor which the meteorology office in Ujungpandang, the capital
\nof South Sulawesi, measured at 4.8 on the Richter scale. The
\nepicenter of the quake was estimated to be in the Sulawesi Sea.<\/p>\n
The Sakura has also been belching thick black smoke and ashes
\nsince the first eruption on Friday. By yesterday, the smoke was
\ncovering most of the islands in the Togian group of islands.<\/p>\n
The smoke has made sailing in the area highly dangerous
\nbecause of the poor visibility, the news agency quoted Lt. Col
\nMarsudhi Hanafi, the chief of the Poso Regency police overseeing
\nthe Togian Islands.<\/p>\n
Marsudhi said the local administration has also asked Jakarta
\nto send a volcanology team to the location, to assess the extent
\nof the danger and the likelihood of a powerful eruption.<\/p>\n
The Sakura last erupted in 1983, after which most of the
\nvolcano sank under the sea.<\/p>\n
Marsudhi said he had ordered all his officers in the area to
\nbe on alert as the situation deteriorates.<\/p>\n
The Central Sulawesi province was the site of a major natural
\ndisaster early this month when a tidal wave swept the western
\ncoast of the province, killing eight people and destroying
\nhundreds of houses. A tidal wave then followed a powerful
\nearthquake in the Sulawesi Sea. (imn)<\/p>",
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