Perilous Times
New eruptions from Indonesian volcano spews more, magma, ash and debris
* From correspondents in Tanah Karo, Indonesia
* From: AP
* September 03, 2010 11:08AM
An INDONESIAN volcano sent a new, powerful burst of hot ash and debris
thousands of metres into the air early today, sending villagers fleeing
back to emergency shelters.
The tremor could be felt eight kilometres away, said Surono, who heads
the nation's volcano alert centre.
Mount Sinabung erupted for the first time in 400 years on Sunday and
Monday, catching many scientists off guard and forcing at least 30,000
people living along its fertile slopes in North Sumatra province to be
evacuated.
Many had already returned to areas within the "safety zone" - well away
from the crater's mouth - despite warnings by volcanologists that the
alert level was still high.
Pasi Ginting, a resident, told MetroTv that today's blast, which
occurred about 4.45am local time, as many people were sleeping,
appeared to be the strongest yet.
Indonesia, prone to seismic activity because of its location in the
so-called "Ring of Fire", is home to 129 active volcanoes. It has
recorded some of the largest eruptions in history.