Mt. Sinabung volcano eruption damages summit

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The recent high-intensity explosion of the Mount Sinabung volcano has blown-off a portion of the peak, leading to a pyroclastic lava flow and severe ash fall in the adjoining areas.

Eruption on Monday was the biggest since 2013, with a volcanic ash column rising five kilometers upward in the sky that was followed by earthquakes lasting up to 607 seconds, according to BNPB, an Indonesian disaster management authority. “The eruption was followed by 14 earthquakes.”

Authorities released photographs after the explosion to ascertain the damage that the mountain's summit suffered after the eruption. A significant portion of the summit was blown-off, and volcanologists are studying the extent of the destruction.

The high column of smoke and ash emissions forced Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation (VONA) to raise the danger warning from orange to red banning flight movement over Mt. Sinabung till further notice.

Photograph released after the Mt Sinabung eruption shows extent of damage to the mountain's summit. /BNPB Photo

The impact of volcanic ash fall diminished visibility in the Gunung Sinabung, diantaranya Kecamatan Simpang Empat, Naman Teran, Payung and Tiga Nderket districts to barely five meters. These districts also witnessed small rock fall for nearly two days.

A vast tract of agricultural land covered with volcanic ash has forced farmers to employ extra labor to protect their standing crop.

School students and teachers around Mt. Sinabung are facing the worst impact of the volcanic eruptions. Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, head of BNPB, released a video showing screaming school students running for safety after the eruption on Monday morning.

Some of the schools are covered with a thick layer of ash forcing classes to be cancelled. “Deployment has been made to remove ash from the school buildings,” BNPB maintained.

However, in a few schools, students and teachers were seen scraping and removing ash from the school’s ground and classrooms.

Mt. Sinabung, one of three active volcanoes located in Indonesia, was dormant for more than four centuries. It killed two people during an eruption in 2010, and significant eruptions also occurred in in 2014 and 2016, killing 16 and seven people respectively.

Indonesia is situated on the world’s most active seismic strip, which houses 127 active volcanoes. The Southeast Asian archipelago is located on the Pacific “ring of fire” where tectonic plates collide, leading to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Disaster management authorities have issued a health advisory and launched awareness drives to help locals deal with ash and toxic fumes. Masks, eyeglasses and other protective gear is being distributed among the families to deal with the pollutants.