Jakarta: The Karangetang volcano on Siau Island off the coast of Indonesia’s North Sulawesi erupted on Monday, with authorities warning locals and tourists to stay away from the area.
Head of the country’s Geological Agency, Sugeng Mujiyanto said in a statement that the volcano, consisting of two active summit craters, has launched hot ash as far as 2 km to the southeast, reports Xinhua news agency.
He suggested that nearby residents and visitors avoid activities within a 2.5-3.5 km radius of the craters over “potential dangers from lava flows and hot clouds”.
Authorities have raised the alert to level 3 in a four-tier system on the 1,784-meter volcano since May due to its increasing volcanic activities.
Karangetang is one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia having erupted 41 times since 1675.
A pyroclastic flow in 1997 killed three people.
–IANS
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