Wary officials eye Mt. Soputan

Wary officials eye Mt. Soputan

Jonker Rumteh, The Jakarta Post, South Minahasa

Mount Soputan in South Minahasa, North Sulawesi, has had two
minor eruptions during the past two days and officials are
worried about the safety of nearby residents.

The first eruption occurred on Tuesday evening at 5:15 p.m,
with the second taking place the following morning at 6:38. Both
times the 1,780 meter high volcano spewed hot ash hundreds of
meters into the air which blanketed the adjacent Kawangkoan
district.

Mt. Soputan was last noticeably active in November last year.

Despite the eruptions, government officials had yet to order
residents to evacuate the area, observation post official Yappy
Rombot said.

Jemmy Runtuwene, the chief of the volcanology office in
Tomohon, South Minahasa, said his department had imposed an
alert-watch status on the volcano as its activity increased.

"We have urged local residents to stay away from the volcano,"
Jemmy said on Wednesday.

He advised residents living on the slopes of the volcano to
use masks in order to prevent ash inhalation.

None of the residents on the mountain had left, reports said,
but many had complained their gardens or crops had dried or
perished because of the ash.

The eruptions took place a week after ominous rumblings from
Mt. Talang in West Sumatra and Mt. Tangkuban Perahu and Anak
Krakatau in West Java. The recent activity is believed to have
been caused by the large earthquakes in Nias and Aceh and 11
volcanoes in the country have now been put on watch status.