TANAH KARO, Indonesia (AP) — Authorities in western Indonesia on Monday evacuated hundreds of villagers living near a volcano that is spewing hot ash down its slopes almost daily.
Government volcanologist Gede Suantika said at least 28 hot ash avalanches occurred Monday at Mount Sinabung on Sumatra, one of Indonesia’s main islands. There are indications the crater’s lava dome continues to grow in size, Gede said.
Subur Tambun, head of the local disaster mitigation agency, said hundreds of residents were being evacuated Monday from several villages, bringing the number of people moved in recent weeks to more than 3,000.
“They have to be moved because of increasing activities of the volcano in past days,” Subur said.
Evacuees included villagers living between 3 to 5 kilometers (2 to 3 miles) from the crater on its eastern and southeastern flanks. A small number of people who’d returned to villages within 3 kilometers also were evacuated again.
Read more: http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/indonesia-evacuates-more-villagers-from-volcano-area/