Mt. Lokon Sends Ash Up To 2,000 M Into Sky

Manado, N Sulawesi, March 20 (Antara) - Mount Lokon in North Sulawesi sent volcanic ash up to 2,000 meters into the sky at 07.57 a.m. on Wednesday. "It is true the volcano shows signs of increased volcanic tremors resulting in eruption," Farid Ruskanda Bina, the head of the Mount Lokon and Mahawu observatory post of the Volcanic and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) at the Bandung Geology Board, said. The PVMBG still puts Mt Lokon under level III alert status although the frequency of its eruptions has declined to 2-3 a week. Wednesday`s eruption shocked residents living near the volcano`s crater as the volcano produced loud thumping noise. Mt Lokon began showing signs of increased activity in Juky 2011, prompting the center to raise its alert status to level IV. Until now the volcano is on alert level III status. The volcano last erupted on March 10 this year.