"Local residents should not carry out activities within the four-kilometer radius of the volcano`s peak," Head of the Information Data Center and Public Relations of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency Sutopo Purwo Nugroho noted in a written statement released on Wednesday.
He also urged residents living as far as 6.5 kilometers west and southwest of the volcano`s peak to avoid the possibility of a lava slide or hot cloud.
Residents living around the volcano should also prepare to wear masks to avoid the possibility of developing upper respiratory tract infections in case of a volcanic ash rain, he stated.
"They also need to stay on alert for the threat of lava flow when materials from the volcano`s eruption are carried by river water," he stated.
The 1,784-meter-high volcano erupted on Wednesday at 8:47 a.m. local time.
The volcano spewed a massive column of ash reaching heights of between three to four thousand meters, Asep, head of the Mount Soputan observation post in Silian, stated.
Prior to the eruption, a loud explosion was audible at the observation post. Thick cloud was seen moving in the westerly and northwesterly directions of South Minahasa.
Reporting by Dewanto Samodro
Editing by Suharto
Reporter: Dewanto Samodro
Editor: Bustanuddin
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