Mt. Sinabung erupts in Indonesia, spews tower of smoke, ash into sky

Indonesia’s Mount Sinabung erupted on August 10, 2020 spewing massive tower of smoke and ash into the sky, plunging local communities and villages into darkness. 

The volcano shot up massive columns of ash and smoke 5,000 metres (16,400 feet) into the air, as a result, thick layer of ash covered areas up to 12 miles from the crater.

According to Indonesia's Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Centre, there have been no fatalities or injuries from the eruption, as yet.

#Sinabung volcano erupted again today 10th August at 10:16 and 11:17 local time. The first eruption (photo no.1.) at 10:16 produced a ash plume that reached a height of +/-5000m above the summit, according to Indonesian Authorities @id_magma pic.twitter.com/GB5g287Jho

— Øystein Lund Andersen (@OysteinLAnderse) August 10, 2020

Key Details

• Mt Sinabung volcano had witessed smaller eruptions over the wekeend before the big explosion on August 10. The crater's alert status remains at its second-highest level.

• While no one resides inside the no-go zone around the volcano, smaller communities living nearby were coated in a layer of thick ash and at least one village was plunged into complete darkness within minutes during the day. 
went from day to night in a matter of minutes.

• This led the scared residents of the villages to violate safety rules put in place to keep a check on COVID-pandemic.

•  Indonesia's Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Centre issued a statement advising people living nearby to be on alert for the potential appearance of lava.

Background

Mt. Sinabung, which was dormant volcano for almost 400 years, roared back to life in 2010. Then again after almost 3 years of inactivity, it erupted once again in 2013 and after that it has remained highly active.

The volcano saw a deadly eruption in 2016, which led to the death of 7 people. In 2014, at least 16 people were killed in the volcanic eruption. 

Indonesia is home to almost 130 active volcanoes, as it falls on the "Ring of Fire". The Ring of Fire is a located in the basin of the Pacific Ocean, where frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur. In late 2018, a volcano in the strait between Java and Sumatra islands erupted, causing an underwater landslide and tsunami that resulted in almost 400 deaths.