A volcano has erupted on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi – five days after a devastating earthquake and tsunami killed over 1,300 people there.
Mount Soputan began spewing ash 6,000 metres into the sky on Wednesday morning.
Flight operators have been warned about the volcanic ash in the air as emergency services attempt to evacuate people from the worst-hit areas.
Aid planes have just started to reach Palu – the city worst affected by Friday’s earthquake.
Meanwhile, on the larger island of Java, another volcano – known as the son of Krakatoa – also erupted.
Gunung Anak Krakatau hampir setiap hari meletus. Pada 2/10/2018 terjadi 156 kali letusan yang melontarkan abu, pasir dan lava pijar. Status Waspada. Kondisinya aman jika berada di luar radius 2 km dari kawah. Menarik untuk wisata melihat fenomena gunung meletus di tempat aman. pic.twitter.com/aa8WtW8oPz
— Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) October 2, 2018
Gunung Soputan’s eruption status was raised from an alert to standby 4km from the summit and up to 6.5km to the west-southwest.
Standby status means people should avoid the area nearest the volcano and have masks available in case of ash fall.
The Indonesian archipelago has dozens of active volcanoes.
Gunung Soputan di Minahasa Tenggara Provinsi Sulawesi Utara meletus pada 3/10/2018 pukul 08.47 WITA. Tinggi kolom abu vulkanik 4.000 meter mengarahnke barat-barat laut. PVMBG mencatat amplitudo maksimum 39 mm dan durasi sekitar 6 menit. Belum ada perlu pengungsian. pic.twitter.com/LWN4N22gcu
— Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) October 3, 2018
Two prisons were damaged in Sulawesi following Friday’s quake – with some 1,200 inmates believed to have escaped into the northern countryside.
Looting has become a big problem is recent days as teams struggle to get supplies to survivors.
Authorities have warned that time is running out to find anyone still trapped in the rubble and it is feared the death toll could soar into the thousands.
More than 25 countries have offered assistance after Indonesian President Joko Widodo issued an international appeal for help.
