Indonesia's Dukono volcano erupts, spewing ash 5,000 metres above peak
Jakarta, May 17
Dukono volcano in Indonesia's North Maluku province erupted on Sunday, spewing grey ash up to 5,000 metres above its peak, the country's Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said.
The 1,087-metre volcano is currently at the second-highest alert level.
Authorities urged residents and visitors to avoid activities within a 4-km radius of the crater and to prepare face masks to reduce respiratory risks from volcanic ash, Xinhua news agency reported.
Earlier this month, three people were killed after Mount Dukono erupted.
Another 15 people were found safe, out of which seven were Singaporean nationals, and eight were Indonesian citizens.
Due to the eruptive activity of Mount Dokono and the bodies being buried under a significant amount of volcanic material, the evacuation of the victims was delayed.
The remains were taken to Tobelo Regional Hospital for identification and further processing.
Regret was expressed by the Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana (BNPB), the Indonesian government's National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure, over the climbing activity despite the Mount Dukono hiking route being fully closed since April 17.
"We urge hiking operators and the public to help disseminate information about the route closure. Violations may result in sanctions under prevailing regulations to ensure public safety," Abdul Muhari, Head of the BNPB Disaster Data, Information, and Communication Centre, said earlier this month.
Mount Dukono had also erupted in February earlier this year, prompting the country's Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Centre to issue an aviation warning.
The volcano, situated on Halmahera Island, spewed a column of ash up to 2,000 metres into the sky. Thick white-to-grey clouds drifted south of the crater.
To mitigate the risks posed to aviation, a Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation (VONA) had been issued at the orange level, the second-highest warning, prohibiting planes from flying below 5 km around the volcano.
Aircraft were asked to exercise caution regarding ash clouds, which can disrupt flights.
— IANS
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