JAKARTA, Indonesia—A volcano in the northern part of Indonesia’s Sumatra island erupted six times early Monday, sending volcanic ash up to 2,000 meters in the air after days of heightened activity, the country’s disaster agency said.
The National Agency for Disaster Management said the eruptions at Mount Sinabung occurred between 1 a.m. and 9 a.m., with winds pushing ash to the east and southeast, away from Indonesia’s third largest city of Medan.
The eruptions come a day after Indonesia raised the alert status for Sinabung to the highest level, forcing the evacuation of more than 5,000 people in the area immediately surrounding the volcano. More than 11,000 people altogether have been evacuated since the volcano began erupting sporadically in September.
No fatalities have been reported since the eruptions began, but they have prompted flight warnings.
Sinabung, about 50 kilometers from Medan, a city of more than two million people, is one of several volcanoes that have shown increased activity in recent months. Four other major volcanoes are under observation due to the high potential for eruption.
Indonesia has many active volcanoes because the archipelagic country lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, which sees frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity. It is home to some of the world’s most famous volcanic eruptions, including the Mt. Toba super-eruption around 74,000 years ago in North Sumatra that created what is today the world’s largest volcanic lake, and the eruption of Mt. Krakatoa, which lies off West Java, in 1883.http://blogs.wsj.com/searealtime/2013/11/25/indonesian-volcano-keeps-erupting-after-put-on-highest-alert/
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