Mount Gamalama erupts in Indonesia

December 5, 2011 – INDONESIA – Mount Gamalama in Indonesia’s North Maluku province erupted at 23:00 local time on Sunday (1400 GMT), releasing volcanic ashes. There is no death or material loss due to the eruption. Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, head of the Center of Data, Information and Public Relation at the National Agency of Disaster Management (BNPB), said in a statement that people living around the foot of the volcano have took refuge to safer places. However, some of them chose to stay at their houses. “The Regional Agency of Disaster Mitigation (BPBD) of North Maluku province keeps coordinating with related institutions for emergency handling. It keeps monitoring and recording (the situation),” said Nugroho. 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 urged to stay calm. “Yes it erupted but we asked people to stay calm,” Surono, head of the Center of Vulcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation ( PVMBG) told the country’s largest news portal detikcom. The last eruption recorded at the volcano was in 2008. –CRI English

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