Mount Marapi, in Indonesia’s West Sumatra province, erupted today, sending plumes of smoke and ash more than 3,000 meters above sea level and blowing clouds of hot ash several kilometers north.
The information was released by the Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Risk Mitigation.
According to an official at the Marapi Observatory, Ahmad Rifandi, there were no casualties and residents in the area were advised to stay three kilometers from the mouth of the crater and be alert to the danger of possible lava emission.
Endonezya’da korku dolu anlar: Merapi Yanardağı patladı#SonDakika #Endonezya #Merapi #Yanardağı
– Samimi Haber (@samimihaber) December 3, 2023
National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said several villages were covered in ash, blocking out the sun in many areas.
Authorities distributed face masks and urged residents to wear goggles to protect them from volcanic ash, he added.
Marapi’s eruption warning level has been maintained at the second-highest level, Abdul Muhari said, confirming that authorities have been closely monitoring the volcano after sensors detected increasing activity in recent weeks.
Endonezya’nın Batı Sumatra eyaletindeki Merapi yanardağında buy patlama!#Indonesia #volcano #Merapi pic.twitter.com/nRFTd2kRbf
– Furkan News (@furkannewscom) December 3, 2023
The Japan Meteorological Agency said today it is currently assessing the possibility of a tsunami due to Marapi’s volcanic activity.
The nearly 2,900-meter-high mountain has been active since January, when it erupted, producing dense plumes of ash and steam that rose up to 400 meters above the crater. There were no data on casualties.
Marapi is one of more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, a region prone to seismic disturbances due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines that surround the Pacific basin.
Source: DN
