Indonesia volcano erupts, hikers injured

TERNATE (Indonesia) — A volcano in eastern Indonesia erupted today (Dec 19), spewing towering clouds of hot ash into the air and leaving four hikers injured and one missing when they scrambled to safety, an official said.

Mount Gamalama on Ternate island in North Maluku province shot thick grey smoke up to 2,000m into the sky just before midnight Thursday, said Mr Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the spokesman for Indonesia’s Disaster Mitigation Agency.

He said nine panicked hikers fell while fleeing to safety. Four of them were hospitalised and rescuers were searching for the 10th.

Slow-moving red lava was visible at the peak of the eruption today and villages were blanketed with thick ash, but no evacuation orders have been issued, Mr Nugroho said.

An airport in Ternate, the provincial capital about 30km from the volcano, was forced to close today as did schools and offices.

Mount Gamalama is one of about 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia. Its last major eruption was in 2012. No deaths were reported then.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago of 240 million people, is prone to earthquakes and volcanoes because it sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a horseshoe-shaped string of faults that lines the Pacific Ocean. AP