October 16, 2015 Eruption of Sinabung
Sinabung in Indonesia erupted on October 16, 2015. The eruption killed 1 person.
Where it erupted
Sinabung, Indonesia, with its other significant eruptions.
The eruption
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
The volcano continues to slowly extrude viscous lava, which results in occasional small to moderately sized pyroclastic flows (2-3 per day on average). Unfortunately, it indirectly claimed another victim: heavy rains in recent days have appeared and produced numerous mud flows (lahars) that caused damages in various places, but also a victim: on 9 October, a lahar traveled through the Susuk riverbed near Tiganderket village on the western slope and hit a couple on a motorcycle while crossing the valley. It killed the driver who could not escape the muddy torrent, while his wife survived clinging to a tree trunk. (reference #11292)
October 14-20, 2015: Based on satellite images and information from PVMBG, the Darwin VAAC reported that on 16 October an ash plume from Sinabung rose to an altitude of 4.3 km (14,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted 45 km SW. On 20 October ash plumes rose to an altitude of 5.2 km (17,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted 55 km N. (reference #2432)
Other significant eruptions of Sinabung
More
Every eruption in 2015The 2000sSinabungEarthquakes near SinabungThis day in weather history
Sources
Volcanoes and significant eruptions from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. Volcano numbers are the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program’s. NCEI event 6204.