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Thousands flee volcano eruption on Sulawesi island
Lokon is active again, forcing the authorities to raise the alarm to code red, the highest level of danger. Locally, there are 28 thousand people, 4400 have already left their homes as evacuation operations continue. In 1991 a Swiss tourist was killed during an eruption of Lokon.
Jakarta (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Thousands of people are fleeing an Indonesian island after a strong volcanic eruption. The Lokon volcano on the island of Sulawesi, began erupting lava, smoke and ash last night, spewing fiery lava and ash hundreds of feet into the air. The state of alert in the area was raised to the highest red alert level. Grass and vegetation around the volcano for a radius of 500 meters, went up in flames.
There are no reports of injured people, so far. At present at least 4400 people who lived in nearby villages were evacuated, and the situation is constantly monitored. "There was panic because people were given an early warning, and we are continuing to evacuate the villages," said an official of the Civil Defence. In the area there are about 28 thousand people to evacuate. In fact, the resumption of activity of Lokon had been noted for some weeks.
The Lokon volcano, 1580 meters high, is one of the most active volcanoes in the Indonesian archipelago. In 1991, its eruption claimed the life of a Swiss tourist. The island has dozens of active volcanoes. The best known of them, and also one of the most active, is Mount Merapi on the island of Java, whose eruptions in October 2010 resulted in the deaths of more than 350 people.