Mount Sinabung erupts again, over 600 residents evacuated in North Sumatra

Mount Sinabung, a volcano in Indonesia's North Sumatra province, erupted again on Wednesday morning, prompting the evacuation of over 600 residents. The eruption, which began at 7.20am local time, sent an ash column soaring 1,000 metres above the summit, or 3,460 metres above sea level, according to the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG).

The eruption was still ongoing at the time of the report. The volcano's activity level was raised from Level II (Alert) to Level III (Standby) on Monday following an earlier eruption that sent an ash column about 3.5 kilometres above the summit. As a result, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) evacuated 615 residents from 211 families in Kuta Tengah to an emergency response post, expanding the danger zone and prohibiting activities within a three-kilometre radius of the summit and a six-kilometre sectoral radius towards the south-east.

The Consulate General of Malaysia in Medan had previously urged Malaysians in or heading to Karo Regency to remain vigilant and follow Indonesian authorities' instructions.

Brief written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.