JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Mount Sinabung in Indonesia erupted Monday, sending a plume of black ash and smoke 3,500 meters (11,482 feet) from the mountain’s summit into the sky over the island of Sumatra. There were no immediate reports of casualties, evacuations or flight disruptions in the region. But residents, visitors and tourists were advised to refrain from activities in nearby villages in Karo district, North Sumatra province, and in areas within a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) radius of the summit. Roads, vehicles and buildings in several Karo villages affected by the eruption were covered in gray ash. Local authorities distributed masks to residents to protect themselves. Officials raised the volcano’s alert level to “Watch,” the second-highest level of volcanic activity, expanding the safe zone around the mountain to 2,600 meters (8,530 feet). “This eruption is considered an initial eruption, and it is possible that a larger eruption could occur,” Lana Saria, head of the Indonesian Geological Agency, said in a statement on Monday. The agency previously recorded visual evidence of increased activity at Mount Sinabung in mid-August, including dozens of earthquakes, and expanded the recommended radius for public activities. Around 30,000 people have been forced to leave their homes around Sinabung in recent years due to volcanic activity. Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 280 million inhabitants with frequent seismic activity and Sinabung is among more than 120 active volcanoes. The country is prone to seismic upheavals due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines that surround the Pacific basin.
