2 DIE AFTER INDONESIAN VOLCANO ERUPTS
Baku, August 30 (AZERTAC). Two people have died and more than 21,000 were displaced when a long-dormant volcano erupted after more than 400 years in Indonesia, officials said Monday.
Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra province had been inactive since the 1600s, but spewed volcanic ash nearly a mile into the air Sunday.
The deaths were reported Monday.
"The two people died because of heart attack and respiratory complication," said Priyadi Kardono of the National Disaster Coordination Agency. "We have sent food and gas masks for the rest of the displaced people."
After the eruption, glowing volcanic materials spewed out of the long-dormant mountain and could be seen as far as 10 km away (10.2 miles), the official Antara news agency reported.
Officials are concerned that if the eruption continues, the smoke -- up to 2,000 meters (6,561 feet) high -- could disrupt aviation. But the nearby Polonia International Airport was still operating normally Monday.
The volcano erupted just after 12:15 a.m. Sunday (1:15 p.m. ET Saturday), the official Antara news agency reported.
On Saturday, the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation issued a warning and ordered evacuation of a 6 km (3.7 miles) radius around the volcano. Investigators are studying the volcano, which officials had believed was inactive before Sunday`s eruption.
