Indonesia: Marapi volcano eruption shuts Minangkabau airport down

December 25, 2023 | 15:16

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Volcanic ash spewing from Indonesia’s Mount Marapi forced airports on Indonesia's Sumatra island to shut down and locals to evacuate to safer places on December 22.

Indonesia: Marapi volcano eruption shuts Minangkabau airport down, illustration photo/ Source: freepik.com

Jakarta - Volcanic ash spewing from Indonesia’s Mount Marapi forced airports on Indonesia's Sumatra island to shut down and locals to evacuate to safer places on December 22.

The nearly 2,900m volcano in the Agam district of West Sumatra province is about 113 kilometers north of Minangkabau International Airport in Padang, the provincial capital.

This is the third time that the volcano has been active this month. On December 3, Marapi shot thick columns of ash as high as 3 kilometers that killed 23 climbers.

Last weekend, its sudden eruption also injured many people.

Smaller eruptions since then spewed more ash into the air, and on December 22 the volcano began belching ash that reduced visibility hundreds of kilometers away, said Indra Saputra of Indonesia’s Centre for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation.

Minangkabau airport was closed on December 22 afternoon after ash, which can pose a deadly threat to aircraft, reached its airspace. Due to the closure, two international flights from Kuala Lumpur and 13 domestic flights were canceled.

Marapi is known for sudden eruptions that are difficult to predict. The volcano has been at Indonesia’s third highest alert level since 2011, indicating above-normal volcanic activity that means climbers and villagers must stay more than 3 kilometers from the peak, according to Indonesia's Centre for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation.

Marapi is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia. The country is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

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