Thousands flee after volcano erupts in Indonesia
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A volcano erupted on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia on Sunday for the first time in four centuries, with ashes and smoke shooting 1.5 km into the air, killing one person and prompting the evacuation of over 10,000 people from nearby villages, officials said.
The eruption did not disturb flight at the main airport in the area, spokesman of the transport ministry Bambang Ervan said.
The authorities issued a top red alert after Mount Sinabung began spewing hot lava shortly after midnight, head of the nation' s volcano disaster alert center called Surono told Xinhua by phone, saying the agency has not confirmed yet the decreasing of the seismic activity.
"We will monitor the activity intensively. Before we reach conclusion that the condition is safe, we recommend those living in the radius of 6 kilometers to leave the area," said Surono.
The sudden eruption of the 2,400-meter-high Mount Sinabung triggered panic among villagers as authorities particularly in North Sumatra province prepared for emergency relief, spokesman of National Disaster Management Agency Priyadi Kardono said.
Secretary of the provincial administration Edy Sofyan told Xinhua by phone that they had distributed thousands of masks and medicine to the evacuees.
"I heard trembling sounds and then a huge explosion, Then I went out from my house with my husband and we looked at a huge smoke rising from the mountain. We woke up our children and we rushed to street for escape," an evacuee was quoted by metro television as saying.
Mount Sinabung is classified as active volcano in category B which means it is not necessary to be monitored intensively, it is different from other active volcanoes in category A, which must be monitored frequently, said Surono.
"After the eruption we change the type of Mount Sinabung from B to A," said Surono.
The Indonesian archipelago lies on the "Pacific Ring of Fire" where frequent seismic and volcanic movements occur.
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