Indonesia's Mount Lokon volcano erupts

Herald Globe (IANS) Friday 10th February, 2012

Indonesian volcano Mount Lokon erupted Friday morning followed by a roaring noise and spewing of thick grey ash up to two km, officials said.

The 1,578-metre volcano in Sulawesi province erupted at 8.20 a.m., Xinhua reported citing the Centre of Volcanology and Geological Danger Mitigation at the ministry of energy and mineral resources.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a public relations official at the National Agency for Disaster Management, recommended that there should be no public activity within 2.5 km from the crater.

He urged people to stay alert and prepare for further activities of the volcano.

However, there was no immediate need for evacuating the area, officials said.