May 7, 2019 Eruption of Sinabung

PVMBG and BNPB reported that an eruption at Sinabung at 0641 on 7 May generated a dense ash plume that rose 2 km above the crater rim and drifted SW, causing the sky to turn dark in some areas. The eruption lasted 42 minutes and 49 seconds according to the seismic data. Ashfall was reported on farms in many villages in the Simpang Empat (7 km SE), Namanteran, Kabanjahe, and Berastadi districts. The Alert Level remained at 4 (on a scale of 1-4), with a general exclusion zone of 3 km and extensions to 7 km on the SSE sector, 6 km in the ESE sector, and 4 km in the NNE sector. (reference #2432)

Karo Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPDB) head Martin Sitepu said four districts were badly affected by the Sinabung eruption, namely Simpang Empat, Namanteran, Kabanjahe and Berastadi. "Many villages in the four districts were affected by the ashes. This surprised us because it’s been a year since Sinabung was active," he said. Martin said the eruption hit the local economy hard because the ash damaged plantations. He said his agency was deploying several fire trucks to help water down the ash and wash it away from the plantations. "It will take time to clean up the ash because it's thick and the exposed area is quite large," he added. (reference #12424)