More than 1,200 flee as Indonesia volcano spews ash, gas
Authorities said they were prepared to issue a wide-scale evacuation order if the situation deteriorates further
In this photograph taken on January 17, 2016, displaced residents due to Mount Egon's volcanic activity gather at an evacuation centre in Sikka located in Indonesia's eastern Flores island. PHOTO: AFP
KUPANG:
More than 1,200 people have been evacuated from their homes to escape a gurgling volcano in eastern Indonesia spewing clouds of ash and toxic gas into the air.
Officials said on Tuesday (Jan 19) they had distributed thousands of gas masks to villagers around Mount Egon in eastern Flores island as the choking fumes from the volcano intensified.
All residents within three kilometres (1.9 miles) of the volcano were ordered to evacuate and roads were also closed. Authorities said they were prepared to issue a wide-scale evacuation order if the situation deteriorates further.
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"We are on a high alert and ready to evacuate any time," disaster mitigation official Silvanus Tobi told AFP on Tuesday.
The volcano began rumbling last month but has become more active in recent days, sending villagers fleeing from their homes.
During its last serious eruption in 2008, Mount Egon blasted smoke and volcanic material nearly six kilometres into the atmosphere.
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It is one of 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which sits on the Ring of Fire, a belt of seismic activity running around the basin of the Pacific Ocean.
More than 1,200 people have been evacuated from their homes to escape a gurgling volcano in eastern Indonesia spewing clouds of ash and toxic gas into the air.
Officials said on Tuesday (Jan 19) they had distributed thousands of gas masks to villagers around Mount Egon in eastern Flores island as the choking fumes from the volcano intensified.
All residents within three kilometres (1.9 miles) of the volcano were ordered to evacuate and roads were also closed. Authorities said they were prepared to issue a wide-scale evacuation order if the situation deteriorates further.
Philippines evacuates 700,000 ahead of powerful typhoon
"We are on a high alert and ready to evacuate any time," disaster mitigation official Silvanus Tobi told AFP on Tuesday.
The volcano began rumbling last month but has become more active in recent days, sending villagers fleeing from their homes.
During its last serious eruption in 2008, Mount Egon blasted smoke and volcanic material nearly six kilometres into the atmosphere.
Guatemala issues orange alert over erupting Fuego Volcano
It is one of 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which sits on the Ring of Fire, a belt of seismic activity running around the basin of the Pacific Ocean.