For four centuries, Mount Sinabung in Indonesia has held its peace, but it is sleeping no longer.
The volcano in North Sumatra province started erupting late last year and has been sending out increasingly powerful eruptions ever since.
It continued to spew clouds of hot gas yesterday and the frequent eruptions have triggered a wave of evacuees, with tens of thousands displaced from their homes.
More than 22,000 people have fled and are being housed in 33 temporary shelters, the National Disaster Management Agency said.
Nanda Sitepu, a resident of Suibintun village, said: “Many houses have collapsed, trees have fallen down and many of our garden crops have been damaged and cannot be harvested. Everything has been destroyed.”
Many houses have collapsed. Everything is destroyed
People from about 25 villages surrounding the volcano have been sent to the shelters.
Many are reliant on soup kitchens for food, while some stay in shelters overnight but come back during the day.
The 2,460-metre mountain has been active since 2010 and is one of nearly 130 active volcanoes in the world’s fourth-most populated country, which straddles the “Pacific Ring of Fire.”
Experts monitoring Mount Sinabung’s activity issued the highest alert status and warned people to stay at least five kilometres away from the crater.