DISASTER Volcano erupts on Sulawesi - the same Indonesian island that experienced earthquake and tsunami

[Melodi]

I suspect this is all related in some way - no idea yet the exact scale of the eruption but it looks big enough to affect air travel - that might make getting aid in even harder
Volcano erupts on Sulawesi - the same Indonesian island that experienced earthquake and tsunami

Independent.ie Newsdesk

October 3 2018 7:12 AM


A volcano has erupted in central Indonesia, prompting authorities to warn airlines about volcanic ash in the air.

Mount Soputan in North Sulawesi province spewed ash nearly 20,000ft into the sky.

The eruption status has been raised from an alert to "standby" 2.5 miles from the summit and up to four miles to the west-south-west.

"Standby" status means people should avoid the area nearest the volcano and have masks available in the event of ashfall.

Planes were warned of the ash clouds because volcanic ash presents a hazard for plane engines.

Soputan is on the northern part of Sulawesi island, where a central region was severely damaged by an earthquake and tsunami on Friday.

Indonesia has dozens of active volcanoes.

Meanwhile, the death toll from an earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia has increased to 1,407.

National disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said 519 of the bodies had been buried.

The magnitude 7.5 earthquake and the tsunami it generated devastated the city of Palu and nearby communities in Central Sulawesi province.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has visited the city and said aid is now starting to arrive.
https://www.independent.ie/world-ne...erienced-earthquake-and-tsunami-37379734.html

 

[Melodi]

Sky News

Volcano erupts on quake-hit Indonesian island
Mount Soputan started spewing ash five days after Sulawesi was hit by a 7.5-magnitude earthquake and tsunami.

Wednesday 03 October 2018

Mount Soputan volcanic eruption in North Sulawesi, Minahasa, Indonesia
Image:
Mount Soputan erupts in North Sulawesi, Minahasa, Indonesia



By Alix Culbertson, news reporter

A volcano has erupted on the Indonesian island hit by an earthquake and tsunami five days ago.

Mount Soputan in North Sulawesi province starting spewing ash 6,000m (19,685ft) into the sky on Wednesday afternoon.

A government volcanologist said he suspects the eruption was triggered by last Friday's 7.5-magnitude earthquake, which also created a tsunami and has killed 1,407 people - with the number rising daily.

Planes have been warned about ash clouds, as they can be hazardous for their engines.

Air evacuations only recently began in Central Sulawesi - about 585 miles (940km) southwest of the volcano - and aid planes have also just started to be able to get to Palu, the city most badly hit by the tsunami.


The volcano's eruption status was raised from an alert to standby 2.5 miles (4km) from the summit and up to four miles (6.5km) to the west-southwest.

Standby status means people should avoid the area nearest the volcano and have masks available in case of ash fall.

The Indonesian archipelago has dozens of active volcanoes as it is on the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo arrived in Palu just hours before Mount Soputan erupted.

It is the first time he has visited the area since the quake hit five days previously, with the government heavily criticised for a lack of disaster planning as residents in and around Palu have struggled to get food, water or medical aid for days.

Many villages have been cut off by landslides caused by the earthquake, with the number of deaths expected to rise even further over the coming days.

A woman walks through a devastated area in Palu, in Indonesia's Central Sulawesi
Mr Widodo said: "Logistics are in and continue to spread, there are places that we haven't reached.

"I've instructed the governor to recommend the markets to be reopened, we want to start reviving the economy."

As aid began trickling in, residents in one neighbourhood clapped, cheered and high-fived the arrival of a supply truck.

One of them, clutching a box of instant noodles, said: "I really haven't eaten for three days."


Sky News' Siobhan Robbins says residents of smaller communities are angry over the lack of aid being provided by the government.

But aid is yet to reach the hardest-hit areas outside Palu as the UN humanitarian office said people urgently require shelter, clean water, food, fuel and emergency medical care.

Yahdi Basma, a leader from a village south of Palu, said he is hoping to get his family on a cargo plane out because there is no aid.

"The president is not hearing about the remote areas, only about the tsunami and about Palu," he said.

"There are hundreds of people still buried under the mud in my village. I lost many members of my family and neighbours. There is no aid whatsoever which is why we're leaving."


Entire neighbourhoods have been swallowed up by the process of liquefaction, which happens when the earthquake shakes the soil - making it behave like a liquid.

Hundreds of people are believed to have perished due to liquefaction, the Indonesia disaster agency said.

Indonesia's military chief said soldiers and other forces have been deployed to Palu to guard any remaining key infrastructure, fuel depots and the airport - which was badly damaged - to stop any looting attempts.

All ground aid convoys have a police guard to ensure essentials, including medical supplies, can get to areas without desperate survivors stopping them for food and water.
https://news.sky.com/story/volcano-erupts-on-quake-hit-indonesia-island-11516034

 

[Pinecone]

How terrible for the people of Sulawesi! I hope they get the help they need quickly.

 

[Faroe]

Death by burial in liquefied soil sounds like a hard way to go.
Prayers for the local people.

 

[LightEcho]

Liquification due to EQ is not something I would normally consider a risk.

Another volcano erupts in Pacific. Now we will see one in America. Get ready for the surprise.

 

[Melodi]

Liquification due to EQ is not something I would normally consider a risk.

Another volcano erupts in Pacific. Now we will see one in America. Get ready for the surprise.

You should join us in the Unexplained Room; I was thinking something very similar or at least another in the Ring of Fire.

 

[packyderms_wife]

Wasn't there a rather large quake near Mt. Saint Helens right before it blew?