Indonesia's volcano continues to spew smoke

Mount Sinabung in regency of Karo in Indonesia's North Sumatra province continued gushing grey smoke on Saturday, blanketing area surrounding its crater, local media reported.

A local resident, Abadinta Barus, told Antara news service that the smoke was less thick than it was on Friday, when seismic activities of the volcano resulted in thundering noises and stirred panic among residents of nearby villages.

"The density of the smoke has far declined, but the smell of sulfur remains strong," he said.

The volcano blew up thick smoke and materials for several hours on Friday, but the authorities dismissed any possibility of eruption, which last occurred in the year 1600.

Despite the absence of evacuation order, hundreds of people fled their villages for safety to their relatives' houses in the neighboring regencies of Kabanjahe and Berastagi.

Dozens of Indonesian Red Cross volunteers and social service agency workers set up on Saturday emergency posts in villages near the volcano. They explained to the local people evacuation procedure if eruption occurred and distributed masks to protect them from respiratory problems.

Source: Xinhua