JAKARTA, Jan 17 (NNN-ANTARA) – The Dukono volcano, on Halmahera Island, in the eastern Indonesian province of North Maluku, erupted yesterday at around 5.30 p.m. local time, throwing ash up to 1,700 metres above its peak, according to the country’s Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG).
“The column of ash was white to gray, with thick intensity, moving to the south-west,” said Sarjan Roboke, an officer of the volcano’s monitoring post.
Standing as high as around 1,335 metres above sea level, Mount Dukono’s alert status is currently put at the second highest level, below the highest level of IV, with a no-go zone of 3 km from the crater, according to PVMBG.
Throughout last year, Dukono erupted 3,324 times, the agency said, calling on the public, who have outdoor activities to wear nose, mouth and eye protectors, when volcanic ashes fall.
Mount Dukono is one of the 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation made up of over 17,500 islands.– NNN-ANTARA
