Two dead, thousands flee as volcano erupts in Indonesia (Third Lead)

JAKARTA - At least two people died and thousands were evacuated Sunday after a volcano on the Indonesian island of Sumatra erupted for the first time in 400 years, shooting black smoke and ash as high as 1,500 metres into the sky.

Mount Sinabung in the Karo district of North Sumatra province thundered to life shortly after midnight, spewing lava and other volcanic materials. Local media reported volcanic dust reached as far as the provincial capital of Medan.

The government Directorate of Vulcanology upgraded the volcano’s danger status to the highest level minutes before the eruption of the 2,451-metre peak, located 1,300 km northwest of Jakarta.

Two persons died from respiratory problems, Red Cross official Muhammad Irsal, who was helping with the evacuation efforts, told DPA.

More than 18,000 residents living in the danger areas were evacuated by Sunday afternoon, said Tarigan, an official from the local disaster management centre in Karo district. They were given shelter in government buildings, and tents had also been erected.

“At midnight, there was a strong shock - believed to be a volcanic earthquake,” Irsal said. “Immediately after, we saw lava come down from the peak of Sinabung, and fire began to burn the forest at the foot of the mountain.”

The volcano was calm Sunday afternoon with white smoke billowing from its crater.

In addition to foodstuffs, the refugees needed other supplies such as face masks, blankets and sleeping mats, Tarigan said.

Firman, a weather forecaster, said the eruption had not disrupted flights at Medan’s airport so far.

The Directorate of Vulcanology said Sinabung’s eruption was the first recorded since 1600.

“Previously, there was no significant activity at the Mount Sinabung volcano, so the monitoring did not take priority since the 1600s,” Surono, the head of the directorate, was quoted as saying by Antara.

Surono, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name, said a team of experts were deployed to monitor Sinabung’s activity.

“We’re recommending that the residents remain at the evacuation centres until further notice,” Surono told MetroTV.

Besides ordering the evacuations, experts also warned residents to wear face masks against the volcano’s ash and told people living along rivers to watch out for possible lava-induced floods.

Indonesia has the highest density of volcanoes in the world with about 500 in the “Belt of Fire” in the 5,000-km-long archipelago nation. Nearly 130 are active and 68 are listed as dangerous.