Mount Sinabung erupts, forcing 2,451 residents from two villages to evacuate

Mount Sinabung erupted with a dark ash column rising 3,500 meters above its summit, prompting the evacuation of 2,451 people from two villages in North Sumatra.

The eruption occurred at 10:17 a.m. local time on Aug. 31 at the volcano in Ndokum Siroga village, Karo district. It marked Sinabung’s first eruption since 2022. The ash moved east and southeast, according to Berton Panjaitan, acting head of the National Disaster Management Agency’s data, information and disaster communications center.

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Based on last night's coordination meeting, residents are planned to be evacuated today. Payung and Kuta Tengah villages are quite close to Mount Sinabung, so they have to be cleared.

Authorities planned to clear Payung village, where 2,051 residents were recorded, and move them to Batukarang. Another 400 residents from Kuta Tengah were to be evacuated to Sukatepu. The provincial disaster agency prepared tents as a temporary shelter, although officials had not determined how long residents would remain displaced or where they would stay.

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The ash column, about 3,500 meters above the summit, was black, thick and moving east and southeast.

Sri Wahyuni Pancasilawati of the North Sumatra disaster agency said the villages lie close enough to Sinabung to require evacuation. The operation would receive support from the military and police through a multisector emergency response team.

The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation raised Sinabung’s status from Level II, or Alert, to Level III, or Standby, at 12:30 p.m. on Aug. 31. The lower status had been in place since May 17, 2023. Officials described the eruption as an initial event and warned that a larger eruption remained possible, urging residents to follow safety recommendations.

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The increase in status took effect on Monday at 12:30 p.m. based on visual and instrumental monitoring showing increased volcanic activity.