Soputan volcano erupts, spews ash, smoke over Manado
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.