KUALA LUMPUR: A volcano in northern Sulawesi, Indonesia erupted on Sunday morning, spewing ash and smoke 7,500 metres into the sky and triggering tremors that lasted up to 30 minutes.
The eruption of Mount Soputan, in Minahasa, sparked panic among nearby residents, who have been advised to flee a four-kilometre radius exclusion zone set up by Indonesia’s National Disaster Agency, the Jakarta Post reported.
Hot ash and lava began flowing from the volcano after night fall on Sunday, the Daily Mail quoted Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho as saying.
The 1,784-metre volcano continues to spew lava and smoke, with residents living outside the exclusion zone forced to wear masks to protect against ash which has begun raining on their settlements.
On Monday, authorities maintained a second-highest alert level for Mount Soputan.
Indonesia – and archipelago of over 17,000 islands – is located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and is home to over 120 active volcanoes, the Jakarta Post reported.