Mount Sinabung Erupt Again

Medan, N Sumatra (Antara) - Mount Sinabung, located in Karo district, North Sumatra province, erupted on Monday morning at around 07.04, spewing volcanic ash 8,000 meters into the air. Spokesman to National Disaster Mitigation agency (BNPB) Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said 17 volcanic earthquakes have been recorded since the Monday eruption. The ash has mainly traveled southwest of Tiganderket and Payung villages, which are located near Mount Sinabung. Monday was the third eruption of Mount Sinabung this month. Through Monday, some 6,155 people have been evacuated to 16 temporary shelters. Those affected by the disaster have left their homes and plantations to be relocated to temporary shelters. Most are farmers growing vegetables and fruits, including chili, tomato, oranges and citrus. "The government and local banks are considering rescheduling the maturity of credits extended to farmers. If necessary, we will give them more credits so that after the disaster they can rebuild their businesses using the credit fund," Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Agung Laksono said . Volcanic material spewed from Mount Sinabung last Nov 12, destroying 1,893 hectares of citrus plantations in Tanah Karo and harming fruit production. "The number of damaged citrus plantations may increase, as information has only been received from five sub-districts located near Mount Sinabung," the Head of Karo District's Agriculture Office, Agustoni Tarigan, said on Wednesday. (*)