The Indonesian island of Sulawesi just can’t catch a break.
On Friday, a massive 7.5 magnitude earthquake rocked the Indonesian island, triggering a massive tsunami that wiped out buildings along the coastline and in the island’s capital city of Palu. At last count, the casualties had climbed above 1,300. But as if the island hadn’t suffered enough, its Soputan volcano erupted on Wednesday after months of heightened seismic activity.
The eruption sent an ash column as high as 4,000 meters into the air. Those plumes are now migrating north and northwest, while geologists have warned that another eruption could follow and assigned the volcano an alert level III, according to RT.
Gunung Soputan, Kab.Minahasa Tenggara Provinsi Sulut meletus setinggi 4.000 meter, 3/10/2018 pukul 08.47 WITA. Kolom abu dgn tekanan kuat teramati berwarna kelabu hingga coklat dgn intensitas tebal condong ke arah barat & barat laut. Status level 3 (Waspada) & radius Aman 4 Km. pic.twitter.com/NCTYHb9aNc
— BNPB Indonesia (@BNPB_Indonesia) October 3, 2018
People living within 4 miles of the volcano’s summit are being advised to avoid the area due to potential threats of lava flow and dangers from the ash clouds. Locals who chose to stay in the vicinity of Soputan are being instructed to wear face masks to cover their nose and mouth to avoid respiratory problems.
A volcano has just erupted on Indonesia’s Sulawesi, just days after an earthquake and tsunami devastated areas on the western side of the island.
Mount Soputan, in North Sulawesi erupted about an hour ago. pic.twitter.com/O8jQMkHBoP— Karlis Salna (@KarlisSalna) October 3, 2018
No casualties have been reported from the eruption, and no property has been damaged. The volcano has continued to spew emissions while the Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation has, meanwhile, updated its color code to Orange by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.
VONA color code, ORANGE pic.twitter.com/KwjaBPPbP7
— MAGMA Indonesia (@id_magma) October 3, 2018
Terjadi erupsi G. Soputan, Sulawesi Utara dengan ketinggian kolom abu 3000-4000 meter, mengarah ke arah Barat-Barat Laut. Zona bahaya radius 4km, dan sektoral arah barar-barat daya 6.5km. pic.twitter.com/x4swF8pS7I
— MAGMA Indonesia (@id_magma) October 3, 2018
The National Agency for Disaster Countermeasures, which is still struggling with the deadly consequences of last week’s earthquake, said respirators are being provided to people living near the volcano who are at risk of breathing in a toxic smog spewing from the volcano. BNPB continues to monitor the situation as emergency crews were mobilized to provide respirators to the affected communities. Meanwhile, Sam Ratulangi International Airport in Manado City has continued to operate normally.
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