Indonesian Volcano Continues to Erupt

Posted July 18th, 2011 at 6:05 am (UTC-5)
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A volcano in central Indonesia continued to erupt on Monday, a day after it unleashed its most powerful eruption in weeks.

Vulcanologists said Mount Lokon on northern Sulawesi island erupted twice within a half-hour period Monday afternoon.

On Sunday, the mountain shot ash and debris 3,500 meters into the air. There were no reports of anyone being hurt.

In the past week, more than 5,000 of the 28,000 people who live on Lokon's fertile slopes have left the area.

A series of blasts late Thursday and early Friday claimed the life of a woman who suffered a heart attack as she fled.

The area has been on highest alert since July 11, when authorities started evacuating villages in the path of the smoke and ash.

Mount Lokon is one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia. It erupted in 1991, killing a Swiss hiker.