One Dead, Thousands Flee As Volcano Erupts In Indonesia

One dead, thousands flee as volcano erupts in Indonesia

JAKARTA: - One person died and thousands were evacuated Sunday as a volcano on the Indonesian island of Sumatra erupted for the first time in 400 years, shooting black smoke and ash up to 1,500 metres into the air.

Mount Sinabung in the Karo district of North Sumatra province thundered to life shortly after midnight, shooting lava and other volcanic materials from its crater.

The government's Directorate of Vulcanology upgraded the volcano's danger status to the highest level minutes before the eruption of the 2,451-metre peak, located about 1,300 kilometres north-west of Jakarta.

Using trucks, ambulances and buses, local authorities evacuated thousands of residents living in nearby hamlets immediately after the eruption, the state-run Antara news agency reported.

A 54-year-old man died from a breathing problem on the way to an evacuation centre, Red Cross official Muhammad Irsal, who was helping with the evacuation process, told the German Press Agency dpa.

Local media quoted residents as saying lava was visible from several kilometres away, including in Berastagi, a tourist area in North Sumatra, while volcanic dust reached as far as the provincial capital of Medan.

More than 10,000 people in 17 communities were evacuated, Irsal said, adding that they were taking refuge in government buildings and tents had also been erected.

-- The Nation 2010-08-29