30 harmed as poisonous gas spreads from Mount Ijen volcano in Indonesia
Xinhua,March 22, 2018 Adjust font size:
JAKARTA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- A total of 30 people have been harmed after breathing air containing toxic gas spread from a crater of Mount Ijen volcano in East Java province of western Indonesia, a disaster agency official said on Thursday.
A total of 200 people were evacuated in Kalianyar village of Bondowoso district in light of the danger, said Winarno, head of emergency unit of the disaster agency in the district.
The affected persons living in the slope of the volcano inhaled the toxic gas on Wednesday evening at about 7:30 p.m. local time (1230 GMT), the official said.
"Two people must be be shifted to a hospital, 13 people are being treated in Ijen health clinic and 4 others are in Tlogosari health clinic, as well as some others have been allowed to return home," he told Xinhua by phone from Bondowoso district.
Villagers living in Kalianyar village situated near the crater have been ordered to evacuate to three spots, including a mosque, a health clinic and a residence house, said Winarno.
Mount Ijen volcano of 2,444 meters high is one of 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia, a vast archipelagic country home to over 17,500 islands.
The volcano last erupted in 1999. Enditem