On Sunday morning, Mount Marapi on the Indonesian island of Sumatra erupted once more, spouting volcanic ash that covered neighboring communities and forced over 150 people to flee.
At 6:21 a.m. local time (1121 GMT), according to the authorities, the volcano erupted for the first time, spewing thick volcanic ash 1,300 meters (4,265 feet) above the crater and toward the southwest corner of the mountain.
“People who live near the valley or riverbanks below Marapi’s peak should be warned of the threat of the lava that can occur in the rainy season,” the country’s volcanology agency said in a statement.
Due to an increase in volcanic activity, authorities last week upgraded Mount Marapi’s alert status to the second highest.
Within a 4.5-kilometer (2.8-mile) radius around the crater, evacuation is required under the increased warning level.According to local official Bambang Warsito, AFP, 158 residents have been evacuated to the homes of their relatives since Friday. However, throughout the day, they were permitted to go back home and check on their cattle.
“As recommended by the volcanology agency, within the 4.5 kilometres of the exclusion zone, these villagers should not stay at home at night, we have also prepared shelters if needed,” he said.
The local government also prepared health posts and distributed free face masks to help avoid respiratory infections due to the volcanic ash.
Marapi erupted in December, spewing an ash tower 3,000 metres (9,800 feet) taller than the volcano itself into the sky.
Several of the 75 people who were trekking the volcano were rescued alive, while 23 people perished in the eruption and another died weeks later in a hospital.
Because Indonesia is located where tectonic plates collide—on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”—it frequently experiences earthquakes and volcanic activity.
Out of the approximately 130 active volcanoes in the Indonesian archipelago, Marapi is the most active volcano in Sumatra.
