Indonesia's volcano eruption forces evacuation as toxic gas clouds spread
Xinhua, January 20, 2016 Adjust font size:
Nearly 1,000 people have been displaced as Mount Egon volcano East Nusa Tenggara of Indonesia has spewed hot ash and toxic gas, disaster agency official said on Wednesday.
As many as 927 people living in the dangerous evacuation zone of 3 kilometers have been evacuated to safer grounds but 501 others rejected evacuation, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of national disaster management agency.
Over 2,000 masks have been disbursed to the villagers around the volcano in eastern Flores island to ease the impact of the eruption, he told Xinhua via phone.
Mount Egon in Sikka district has erupted on and off since December but has been over drive in recent days.
In 2008, Mount Egon volcano erupted by spewing 6-km ash column into the sky.
About 6,000 people were forced to flee homes in 2004 when the volcano erupted.
Mount Egon is one of 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia, an archipelago country situated in a quake hit zone calledthe Pacific Ring of Fire. Endit