Mt Marapi Erupts Again

Bukittinggi (Antara Bali) - Mount Marapi in West Sumatra erupted on Sunday morning, sending thick smoke up to 350 meters into the sky.

"The eruption occurred at around 10.10 western Indonesian time. The volcano spewed thick grey smoke which reached a height of 350 meters from the crater and moved in the northeasterly direction," spokesman of the Bukittinggi Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Agency (PVBMG) Warseno said.

The volcano which is located in Tanahdatar and Agam districts, West Sumatra, remains on the second highest alert level.

People living in 3-km radius of the crater are banned from climbing the volcano. Mount Marapi is one of the active volcanoes in West Sumatra. It sent out sulfuric volcanic ash 1,000 meters into the sky on August 3, 2011. The ash fell onto a number of areas, such as Agam, Tanahdatar, Padangpariaman, and Padangpanjang. (M038)