Volcano eruption kills three

JAKARTA (JP): Three people have died and hundreds of hectares of fields and plantations have been damaged since the initial eruption of the Karangetang volcano in Sangihe Talaud regency, North Sulawesi, last Sunday.

At least 392 residents of nearby Dame village have been evacuated since volcanic lava, followed by an outpour of smoke and flame, continued to pour down from the crater of the 500- meter-high volcano, Antara reported yesterday.

Follow-up volcanic flows have instilled fear among local residents as there are thousands of cubic meters of volcanic mudflow still trapped at the crater. The lava could overflow anytime and drown nearby lower villages.

"We are still evacuating people from dangerous areas and have been calculating the material loss inflicted by the eruption," head of the Siau Timur subdistrict, N. Bawengan, said.

Provisional reports of damage showed that 3,830 coconut trees, 3,901 nutmeg trees, 739 clove trees and 50 coffee trees have been destroyed by volcanic lava. (imn)