Mount Gamalama erupts in Indonesia

December 5th, 2011 - 6:14 am ICT by IANS  

Jakarta, Dec 5 (IANS) Mount Gamalama in Indonesia’s North Maluku province erupted Sunday and started releasing volcanic ashes. There were no immediate reports of death or material loss due to the eruption.

The volcano erupted at 11.00 p.m., Xinhua reported.

People living around the foot of the volcano have taken refuge to safer places, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, head of the Centre of Data, Information and Public Relation at the National Agency of Disaster Management (BNPB), in a statement.

Some of them, however, chose to stay at their houses.

Some parts of the provincial capital city of Ternate were covered by ash rain and blackout was occurred at the foot of the volcano.

People were requested to maintain calm.

“Yes, it erupted but we asked people to stay calm,” Surono, head of the Centre of Vulcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG) told the country’s largest news portal detikcom.

Gamalama is a near-conical stratovolcano that comprises the entire Ternate island in Indonesia.

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