Mount Sinabung Erupts, 2,451 Residents in Two Villages Evacuated
Mount Sinabung in Ndokum Siroga Village, Simpang Empat District, Karo Regency, North Sumatra, erupted on Monday (31/8) at 10.17 WIB, with an ash column reaching 3,500 metres above the peak. The eruption is the first since the volcano last erupted in 2022.
Sri Wahyuni Pancasilawati, Head of Emergency Handling, Equipment and Logistics at the North Sumatra Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), said Payung Village and Kuta Tengah Village will be emptied to anticipate dangers arising from the Mount Sinabung eruption.
“Based on the results of last night’s coordination meeting, the plan today is for residents to be evacuated. Payung Village and Kuta Tengah Village are quite close to Mount Sinabung, so those villages must be emptied,” Sri Wahyuni told CNN Indonesia on Tuesday (1/9).
Sri Wahyuni explained that 2,051 people are recorded in Payung Village and will be moved to Batukarang Village. Meanwhile, Kuta Tengah Village has 400 residents who will be evacuated to Sukatepu Village. In total, 2,451 people will be evacuated.
“Yesterday, the Karo BPBD borrowed our tents. The Provincial BPBD brought tents there this morning. As for where the residents will be placed, whether they want to stay in tents or elsewhere, we don’t know yet. But the tents have been prepared. We will just wait for instructions from the Karo BPBD,” she said.
Sri Wahyuni said the tents were prepared as an anticipatory measure in case residents need temporary shelter during the evacuation period. However, it cannot yet be confirmed how long residents will remain at the evacuation site.
“We will see the situation at Mount Sinabung. What does PVMBG say? The evacuation is assisted by the TNI and Polri because it is within the multi-sector TRC,” she said.
Mount Sinabung erupted with an ash column reaching 3,500 metres above the peak on Monday (31/8/2026) at 10.17 WIB. The eruption is the first since the volcano last erupted in 2022.
“An ash column approximately 3,500 metres above the peak was observed, black in colour with thick intensity, moving towards the east and southeast,” said Berton Panjaitan, Acting Head of the Data, Information and Disaster Communication Centre at the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB).
Berton said that following the eruption, the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) officially raised the status of Mount Sinabung from Level II (Alert) to Level III (Standby). Mount Sinabung last experienced an eruption in 2022.
“The status increase took effect on Monday (31/8/2026) at 12.30 WIB based on visual and instrumental monitoring results showing an increase in volcanic activity. Level II (Alert) activity status had been in place since 17 May 2023,” he explained.
According to Berton, the eruption was an initial eruption and there is still potential for a larger eruption to occur. Therefore, the public is urged to increase vigilance and follow all recommendations issued by PVMBG.
“Before the eruption on 31 August 2026 at 10.17 WIB, a series of earthquakes was recorded, namely 85 volcanic earthquakes, 1 blast earthquake and 1 harmonic tremor,” he explained.