Indonesian Volcanoes Ease But Fears Remain
Date: 14-Jun-04
Country: INDONESIA
A series of eruptions of ash and smoke have spewed from the 6,562 foot volcano in recent days, forcing the evacuation of about 20,000 people living on its slopes, but there have been no lava flows or casualties.
"This morning the activity has visually reduced drastically. It is spewing nothing but white smoke," vulcanologist Syamsu Rizal told Reuters from Sangihe island, 1,400 miles northeast of Jakarta where the volcano is located.
"The smoke plume is about 70 to 80 meters (230-260 feet) high," Rizal said, adding the mountain and surrounding areas were still on the highest level of alert.
"Looking at the data from seismographs over the past 24 hours, it shows that the mountain is not totally idle, there is still a possibility of a major eruption," Rizal said.
The Indonesian archipelago sits astride the Pacific ring of fire and has more than 100 active volcanoes. Experts say it is very hard to predict volcanic activity.
Sangihe island is just south of the Philippines' Mindanao island and has a population of nearly 200,000.
Mount Awu, one of the most active volcanoes in the sprawling archipelago, has erupted repeatedly since the 17th century. Nearly 3,000 people were killed when it blew up in 1812.
The volcano's last fatal eruption was in 1966 when 40 people were killed. It has erupted several times since then.
Following the first eruption on Monday, access to the palm-studded island, where copra and fishing are the major industries, has been limited to a 10-hour ferry ride from Sulawesi island.
The airport is closed because of smoke and the danger of an eruption.
Last week another unusually active volcano, Mount Bromo, in densely populated East Java, showed more signs of calming, with less smoke belching from the 2,392-meter (7,846-foot) mountain.
An eruption on Tuesday killed two tourists, including a Singaporean. Officials said they were still searching for three Indonesians who had been reported missing.
"It's only spewing light smoke now," said Hendrasto, a vulcanologist on the scene.
Mount Bromo is a popular tourist destination and many visitors climb its slope to watch the sunrise. Its status was one level below the highest alert.
