Sinabung Eruption Leaves 14 Dead, Thousands Evacuated

Sumatra volcano in deadly eruption

Mt Sinabung Erupted three times on Saturday leaving at least 14 people dead, including a group of school children from Medan on a science trip, and three others critically injured. Authorities were again forced to evacuate tens of thousands of people from 16 villages from the 5km – 7km exclusion zone near the volcano.

“This is the first direct impact of the Mt. Sinabung eruptions. Before the Saturday incident, the ongoing eruptions have already claimed the lives of 31 evacuees, as a result of various illnesses such as breathing difficulties, depression, asthma and hypertension.” Jakarta Post reported.

Some 14,000 of more than 30,000 evacuees had just been allowed to return home on Friday, following earlier eruptions.

Villagers flee as Mt Sinabung spews plumes of hot ash and smoke engulfing at least 16 villages. Photo credit: ANTARA /Irwansyah Putra. Image may be subject to copyright. More images…

The volcano became restive in 2010, after more than 400 years of dormancy, and has been erupting sporadically since.

Approximate location of Sinabung is marked  on the map by FEWW. Mount Sinabung is one of Indonesia’s 130  active volcanoes

Sinabung Volcano: Summary of Details

Country: Indonesia
Region: Sumatra
Volcano Type: Stratovolcano
Volcano Status: Holocene
Last Known Eruption: Unknown [1600?]
Summit Elevation: 2,460m
Latitude: 3.17°N Longitude: 98.392°E
Source: GVP

Sinabung is located in Group K Volcanoes

Map of Volcanoes. Background Map: University of Michigan. Designed and enhanced by Fire Earth Blog. Click image to enlarge.

The PVMBG categorizes Sinabung as a type A volcano, or those that have erupted since 1600. Type B volcanoes have not erupted since 1600 but show signs of activity, and type C are those that have not erupted in recorded history.

Indonesian Volcanoes

Indonesian Volcanoes have been responsible for a number of cataclysmic explosions in modern history.

An 1888 lithograph of the 1883 violent explosion of Krakatau.

Based on their models, our colleagues at EDRO forecast that volcanic activity on the island of Sumatra could cause the collapse of Singapore. However, they have not disclosed any further detail.

Mt Sinabung erupted explosively again on November 12, 2013 for a second time in 9 days. Image credit: CRIonLine via Xinhua. More images…

Chronology of Recent Eruptions

• Mass Evacuations as Sinabung Erupts Again January 8, 2014
• Mass Evacuation Ordered as Mt SINABUNG Put on Red Alert November 24, 2013
• A Second Indonesian Volcano Erupts Posted on November 19, 2013
• Sinabung Volcano Explodes November 3, 2013
• Thousands Flee Mount Sinabung Eruption September 16, 2013
• 22 Indonesian Volcanoes Remain on High Alerts Posted on November 16, 2013
• Mount Merapi Eruption Satellite Image November 16, 2010
• Merapi’s latest eruption the deadliest so far  November 5, 2010
• Mt Merapi Erupts Again, 70,000 Evacuated November 1, 2010

• Sinabung Getting More Serious September 7, 2010
• Sinabung Erupts Again – Strongest Explosion to Date September 7, 2010

• Sinabung Erupts Again August 30, 2010
• Mount Sinabung Erupts August 29, 2010