We are receiving reports of an eruption at Sinabung Volcano in the Karo region of North Sumatra. The initial eruption occurred at 6:45am local time on Wednesday morning, creating a 120mm amplitude tremor that lasted for 343 seconds.
This information has been confirmed by Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, who is an official with the National Disaster Mitigation Agency. The Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center has maintained an alert status of level 4 (the highest on a scale of 1-4), in anticipation of further eruptions. As a precaution, a 7km safety cordon has also been enforced around the volcano.
The eruption does not affect any Panorama programs. There are currently no reports of damage to infrastructure or tourism facilities. Tourist objects and sites are intact and remain open to the public. All are located outside the affected areas.
With the exception of the 7km cordon in the immediate vicinity of the volcano, no travel warning has yet been issued, either by local authorities or the provincial government. The nearby area of Berastagi has been confirmed as safe for visitors.
Despite the eruption, local villagers have been doing their best to carry on as normal, putting on masks and going about their daily activities as ash continues to fall from the sky.
Mt. Sinabung has been erupting almost continuously since 2013.
