Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Mount Lokon in Tomohon, North Sulawesi, erupted again on Monday morning spewing volcanic materials to as high as 1,500 meters.

"The explosion sent most of the volcanic materials to the north hitting a number of villages including Pineleng, Tateli, and Tanawangko," Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the head of the Information Data Center and the public relations office of the National Agency for Disaster, said here on Monday.

Sutopo said the rumbling was heard and felt in other areas including Minahasa, 10 kilometers away.

He said the local people living not far from the angry volcano rushed out from their houses to watch the the black materials thrown to the sky before falling on the ground.

The local people have been used to seeing the volcano exploding contributing to the high fertility of farm lands in Tomohon.

The volcano began erratic eruptions since July when the authorities declared the status of being on the alert in that area.

The Volcanology and Geology Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) still maintains a radius of 2.5 kilo meters from the crater to be closed for people, Sutopo said .

Since July, the volcano has erupted tens times, he said.

(H-ASG/F001)

Editor: Jafar M Sidik
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