Indonesian volcano awoke, spraying smoke 5,000m high

A volcano on Indonesia's Sulawesi island wakes up today, with columns of smoke and ash as high as 5,000 meters in the air.

Volcano Soputan in North Sulawesi province began a violent eruption around 6:03 am on July 3, but people living in the sparsely populated area did not receive evacuation orders, AFP quoted Iing Kusnadi, a scientist. at this volcano control station.

A farmer working on the field, the far side is Soputan volcano is erupting with smoke column as high as 5,000m. Photo: AFP

" Besides spraying ash, Soputan also spews hot air. However, it is fortunate that these air currents are currently confined to the crater, " Kusnadi said.

The scientist added that an evacuation circle 6 km around the Soputan volcano was created. However, since this circle includes only forests, no people have to flee.

Even so, the authorities will keep a close eye on volcanic activities, to evacuate people when necessary. The nearest village to Soputan is about 8 km from this volcano.

Soputan is one of the most active volcanoes on Sulawesi. The last time it erupted was in 2008, but no human damage was recorded.

Indonesia is located in the Pacific "ring of fire ", where continental pieces often collide with each other, creating seismic and volcanic activities. This island has 129 active volcanoes.