Mount Karangetang Erupts, Residents Urged to Avoid Danger Zone

Mount Karangetang in the Siau Tagulandang Biaro Islands Regency, North Sulawesi, erupted on Sunday night (12/7), according to Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB). Abdul Muhari, Head of the BNPB Data, Information and Communication Centre, stated that the activity began with a strombolian eruption, characterised by weak explosive bursts, with an ash column reaching approximately 100 metres. The eruption was accompanied by loud booming sounds and the ejection of incandescent material around the crater. The event triggered brush fires near the summit, which were visible as large flames due to reflection on the fog. Local authorities reported that the fires were successfully extinguished. Following the initial explosion, effusive lava flows were observed extending 1,000 metres to the north and 400 metres to the west-southwest, with an additional flow reaching 1,000 metres to the south. The volcano’s activity level remains at Level II (Alert), a status unchanged since 11 January 2025. The BNPB has urged residents and tourists to comply with safety recommendations by staying outside the designated danger zone, which includes a 1.5-kilometre radius from the summit crater and a sectoral expansion of 2.5 kilometres to the south, southwest, west, and southeast. The public is also warned to remain vigilant against potential lahars and sudden lava dome collapses, particularly along rivers originating from the summit.