Three killed in volcano erruption in Indonesia

Jakarta: Three people were killed after Mount Dukono erupted in Indonesia’s North Maluku province, local police said on Friday.

Search and rescue authorities earlier said that rescuers were working to evacuate about 20 hikers trapped by the eruption.

Mount Dukono erupted at around 7:40 am local time on Friday, sending a column of volcanic ash up to about 10 km into the sky, Xinhua news agency reported.

Local rescue authorities warned residents not to carry out activities within a 4-km radius of the crater and cautioned that volcanic mudflows could occur during rainfall.

Mount Dukono had also erupted in February earlier this year, prompting the country’s Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Centre to issue an aviation warning.

The volcano, situated on Halmahera Island, spewed a column of ash up to 2,000 metres into the sky. Thick white-to-grey clouds drifted south of the crater.

To mitigate the risks posed to aviation, a Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation (VONA) had been issued at the orange level, the second-highest warning, prohibiting planes from flying below 5 km around the volcano.

Aircraft were asked to exercise caution regarding ash clouds, which can disrupt flights.

Residents, visitors, and tourists in the vicinity of Mount Dukono were advised to refrain from any activities near the Malupang Warirang crater, an active crater on the volcano, within a 4 km radius.

People living around the volcano were encouraged to keep face masks readily available to protect against respiratory hazards from volcanic ash.

Mount Dukono, standing 1,087 metres above sea level, is one of Indonesia’s 127 active volcanoes.

Last month, Indonesia’s Mount Semeru in East Java province erupted several times on April 6, sending thick ash up to 1,100 metres above its summit, according to the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation.

An official at the Semeru monitoring post reported that the ash columns, ranging from white to grey, moved southward with moderate intensity.
IANS