Soputan volcano erupts, spews ash, smoke over Manado

Yongker Rumthe, The Jakarta Post, Manado, North Sulawesi

A volcano just 25 kilometers from the North Sulawesi provincial capital of Manado erupted on Friday morning, belching smoke up to 1,500 meters into the air and hot ash and lava onto surrounding areas.

No casualties or injuries were reported but local residents, including in Manado, were advised to wear masks to prevent respiratory problems.

Mount Soputan, located near the village of Kakaekasen Tomohon in Minahasa regency first erupted at 5:40 a.m.

It was followed by a number of other eruptions, said Jemmy Runtuwene, a volcanology expert at the Tomohon monitoring post.

He said the 1,783 meter-high mountain blanketed surrounding areas in volcanic material. Strong winds carried hot ash as far away as Manado.

"This material contains sulfur ash that is dangerous to the people's health. Therefore, residents should wear masks when outdoors."

Jemmy told The Jakarta Post that the lava was continuing to pour down the volcano's slopes, damaging hectares of plantations nearby.

He said the volcano's status had been upgraded to "alert".

Villagers living close to Soputan had not been asked to leave their homes because they were still some distance from the mountain, Jemmy said.

A slow-moving lava flow was visible at the rim of the peak.

Jemmy called on local government authorities to ban tourists from climbing or camping in the area.

He could not speculate on whether a bigger eruption would follow, or how long the current eruption would last. "We are closely monitoring the situation."

Friday's eruption was the biggest since Soputan begin to rumble earlier this week.

In Manado, residents said dust and ash had fallen in the city, forcing many motorists to wear masks.

"I have to wear a mask to protect my eyes and nose because the sulfur dust falling on the streets and homes here is quite thick," said Meldi Sahensolar, a resident in Manado.

He said he had to take a bath three times a day to remove the thick sulfur dust from his body.

Cars and motorcycles were seen flooding washing services in eastern parts of the city to clean their transportation.

Mount Soputan first erupted in 1785. The largest eruption was in 1989, but it caused no casualties. The volcano has continued to produce lava for the past three years.

In July 2000, the mountain erupted, shooting lava 50 meters into the air. Explosions and ash emissions continued until August 2000.

Indonesia has the world's highest density of volcanoes with 500 located in a so-called "Belt of Fire" along the 3,000-mile- long archipelago. Of these, 128 are active with 65 listed as dangerous.