JAKARTA, Indonesia — An Indonesian island devastated by a powerful earthquake and tsunami that has killed at least 1,400 people was was hit with another natural disaster early Wednesday: A volcanic eruption.

A government volcanologist said it's possible the eruption of Mount Soputan, on the island of Sulawesi, was accelerated by Friday's 7.5 magnitude temblor.

"It could be that this earthquake triggered the eruption, but the direct correlation has yet to be seen," Kasbani, the head of Indonesia's Vulcanology and Geology Disaster Mitigation agency, told online news portal Tempo.

Kasbani, who uses one name, said volcanic activity had been increasing at Soputan since August and began surging Monday. No evacuations were immediately ordered after Wednesday's eruption, which sent ash 19,700 feet — more 3.7 miles — into the sky.

Nazli Ismail, a geophysicist at University of Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh on Sumatra island, urged caution and stressed there was no concrete evidence to show they are linked.

"People talk about the butterfly effect. The concept is that when a butterfly flaps its wings, it can cause a catastrophe," he said. "So it is possible for the earthquake to trigger the volcano eruption, but it's not conclusive."

Nazri said the Soputan volcano eruption isn't surprising as Indonesia sits on the seismically active Pacific "Ring of Fire," and Soputan is one of the most active volcanoes on the island.

Planes were warned of the ash clouds because volcanic ash is hazardous for their engines.

The earthquake in Central Sulawesi set off a tsunami and has devastated several communities.

Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 250 million people and government seismologists monitor more than 120 active volcanoes.</s>JAKARTA, Indonesia — A volcano erupted Wednesday on the same central Indonesian island struck last week by a powerful earthquake and tsunami, and authorities warned planes about volcanic ash in the air.

Mount Soputan on Sulawesi island spewed a massive column of ash more than 6,000 metres into the sky. No evacuations were immediately ordered.

A government volcanologist said it’s possible the eruption was accelerated by the magnitude 7.5 earthquake that struck on Friday.

“It could be that this earthquake triggered the eruption, but we have seen an increase in volcanic activity since July and this began surging on Monday. Yet we can’t say there a direct link, as the mountain is quite far away,” Kasbani, the head of Indonesia’s Volcanology and Geology Disaster Mitigation Agency, said on local television.

Kasbani, who uses one name, said planes have been warned to avoid the area.

Nazli Ismail, a geophysicist at the University of Syiah Kuala in Banda Aceh on Sumatra island stressed there was no concrete evidence to show the two incidents are linked.

“People talk about the butterfly effect. The concept is that when a butterfly flaps its wings, it can cause a catastrophe,” he said. “So it is possible for the earthquake to trigger the volcano eruption, but it’s not conclusive. This needs to be further investigated.”

Danny Hillman Natawidjaja, a geologist with Indonesia’s Institute of Science, echoed the views, saying there was not enough data to make a link.

“In principle, the seismic waves from the earthquake could increase pressure in the volcano’s magma chamber and could cause an eruption. We don’t know for sure,” he said. He cited the example of the eruption of Mount Talang volcano in Indonesia’s Sumatra province in April 2005, which geologists have said was connected to the devastating December 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.

Ismail said the Soputan volcano eruption isn’t surprising as Indonesia sits on the seismically active Pacific “Ring of Fire,” and Soputan is one of the most active volcanoes on the island.

Soputan’s eruption status was raised from an alert to standby 4 kilometres from the summit and up to 6.5 kilometres to the west-southwest. Standby status means the public should avoid the area nearest the volcano and have masks available in the event of ash fall.

Planes were warned of the ash clouds because volcanic ash is hazardous for their engines.

National disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho dismissed concerns that the volcano’s eruption could affect planes transporting aid and supplies to the quake disaster areas. The earthquake set off a tsunami and devastated several communities, with the official death toll rising Wednesday to 1,407 and expected to increase further. Thousands of others are injured and more than 70,000 have been displaced from their homes.

Nugroho said volcanic ash is not heading to the city of Palu, where most of the victims from the quake and tsunami are from, as the wind is blowing in another direction. He said it hasn’t disrupted plane services or affected any evacuations from the disaster areas.

Nugroho denounced videos that had appeared on social media allegedly showing villagers fleeing from billowing black smoke from the volcano and a long smouldering lava river as a hoax. He said so far no lava has spewed out from Soputan. No injuries or deaths have been reported and there is no need for any evacuation at the moment, he added.

Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 250 million people and government seismologists monitor more than 120 active volcanoes.</s>PALU, Indonesia: A volcano on Indonesia's Sulawesi erupted on Wednesday morning (Oct 3), just days after the island was struck by a devastating earthquake and tsunami.

Mount Soputan spewed volcanic ash up to 4,000m above the crater, prompting authorities to raise the alert to level three on the four-level volcano alert system, reported Jakarta Post.

The state disaster agency warned people to stay at least 4km away from the volcano. 



However, there was no need to evacuate for the time being, said national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho. 



There were no reports of any casualties or damage. The volcanic ash was also not expected to disrupt flights because of the wind direction currently.

Mount Soputan is located about 600km northeast of Palu, which has been devastated by last Friday's quake and tsunami.

Days after disaster struck, time is running out for anyone trapped under collapsed buildings, while aid workers warned of increasing desperation in hard-hit outlying areas that have yet to get any help at all.



The official death toll from the 7.5-magnitude quake stood at 1,407, many killed by tsunami waves triggered by the quake.

READ: Indonesia quake: 1,700 houses in Palu swallowed up after soil turned into liquid

Authorities have set a tentative deadline of Friday to find anyone still trapped under rubble, at which point, the chances of finding survivors will dwindle to almost zero.



Almost 200,000 people need urgent help, the UN's humanitarian office said, among them tens of thousands of children, with an estimated 66,000 homes destroyed or damaged by the quake-tsunami. 



Sitting on the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire, Indonesia is one of the world's most vulnerable countries to quakes and tsunamis.

A quake in 2004 triggered a tsunami across the Indian Ocean that killed 226,000 people in 13 countries, including more than 120,000 in Indonesia.</s>A volcano erupted Wednesday on the same central Indonesian island struck last week by a powerful earthquake and tsunami, and authorities warned planes about volcanic ash in the air.

Mount Soputan on Sulawesi island spewed a massive column of ash more than 6,000 metres into the sky. No evacuations were immediately ordered.

READ MORE: Death toll after Indonesia earthquake, tsunami soars to over 1,200

A government volcanologist said it’s possible the eruption was accelerated by the magnitude 7.5 earthquake that struck on Friday.

“It could be that this earthquake triggered the eruption, but we have seen an increase in volcanic activity since July and this began surging on Monday. Yet we can’t say there a direct link, as the mountain is quite far away,” Kasbani, the head of Indonesia’s Vulcanology and Geology Disaster Mitigation agency, said on local television.

Kasbani, who uses one name, said planes have been warned to avoid the area.

Nazli Ismail, a geophysicist at the University of Syiah Kuala in Banda Aceh on Sumatra island stressed there was no concrete evidence to show the two incidents are linked.

“People talk about the butterfly effect. The concept is that when a butterfly flaps its wings, it can cause a catastrophe,” he said. “So it is possible for the earthquake to trigger the volcano eruption, but it’s not conclusive. This needs to be further investigated.”

Danny Hillman Natawidjaja, a geologist with Indonesia’s Institute of Science, echoed the views, saying there was not enough data to make a link.

“In principle, the seismic waves from the earthquake could increase pressure in the volcano’s magma chamber and could cause an eruption. We don’t know for sure,” he said. He cited the example of the eruption of Mount Talang volcano in Indonesia’s Sumatra province in April 2005, which geologists have said was connected to the devastating December 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.

WATCH: Death toll after Indonesia earthquake, tsunami soars to over 1,200

Ismail said the Soputan volcano eruption isn’t surprising as Indonesia sits on the seismically active Pacific “Ring of Fire,” and Soputan is one of the most active volcanoes on the island.

Soputan’s eruption status was raised from an alert to standby 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) from the summit and up to 6.5 kilometres to the west-southwest. Standby status means the public should avoid the area nearest the volcano and have masks available in the event of ash fall.

Planes were warned of the ash clouds because volcanic ash is hazardous for their engines.

National disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho dismissed concerns that the volcano’s eruption could affect planes transporting aid and supplies to the quake disaster areas. The earthquake set off a tsunami and devastated several communities, with the official death toll rising Wednesday to 1,407 and expected to increase further. Thousands of others are injured and more than 70,000 have been displaced from their homes.

Nugroho said volcanic ash is not heading to the city of Palu, where most of the victims from the quake and tsunami are from, as the wind is blowing in another direction. He said it hasn’t disrupted plane services or affected any evacuations from the disaster areas.

Nugroho denounced videos that had appeared on social media allegedly showing villagers fleeing from billowing black smoke from the volcano and a long smouldering lava river as a hoax. He said so far no lava has spewed out from Soputan. No injuries or deaths have been reported and there is no need for any evacuation at the moment, he added.

Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 250 million people and government seismologists monitor more than 120 active volcanoes.</s>Natural disasters continue to plague Indonesia, with the Mount Soputan volcano erupting on the island of Sulawesi just days after a devastating tsunami, triggered by a massive earthquake, struck the island, killing hundreds.After months of increased seismic activity, the Soputan volcano finally blew off steam on Wednesday morning, sending an ash column as high as 4,000 meters into the air. Ash plumes are now moving in the west and northwest direction, with an alert level III issued for the active volcano.Communities residing within a 6.5 km radius of the summit are being advised to stay clear of the area due to potential threats of lava flow and dangers from the ash clouds. Locals who chose to stay in the vicinity of Soputan are being instructed to wear face masks to cover the nose and mouth, in order to avoid respiratory problems.So far there have been no reports of casualties or damage on the island, already heavily devastated by last Friday's quake and tsunami which claimed the lives of over 1,300 people.Eruption and ash emission are continuing while the Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation (VONA) has, meanwhile, been updated to the color code Orange by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.The National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure (BNPB), still dealing with the deadly destructive consequences of nature's wrath last week, has confirmed that so far "there have been no reports of the impact of the Soputan eruption." While BNPB continues to monitor the situation, emergency crews were mobilized to provide respirators to the affected communities. Sam Ratulangi International Airport in Manado City continues to operate normally, local media report.</s>A volcano erupted Wednesday on Indonesia's Sulawesi island after it was hit by a tsunami and a 7.5 magnitude earthquake, killing more than 1,400 people.

Mount Soputan in North Sulawesi province spewed ash 6,000 meters (19,700 feet) into the sky Wednesday morning. No evacuations were immediately ordered.

A government volcanologist suspects the eruption was triggered by the 7.5 magnitude earthquake in Central Sulawesi on Friday.

"It could be that this earthquake triggered the eruption, but the direct correlation has yet to be seen as there had been an increase in the Mount Soputan activity," the volcanologist, Kasbani, told online news portal Tempo.

Kasbani, who uses one name and leads the Vulcanology and Geology Disaster Mitigation agency, said volcanic activity had been increasing at Soputan since August and began surging Monday. "It is possible that the quake accelerates (the eruption)," he added.

Soputan's eruption status was raised from an alert to standby 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the summit and up to 6.5 kilometers to the west-southwest. Standby status means the public should avoid the area nearest the volcano and have masks available in the event of ashfall.

Planes were warned of the ash clouds because volcanic ash is hazardous for plane engines.

The earthquake in Central Sulawesi set off a tsunami and has devastated several communities.

The confirmed death toll rose to 1,407, the disaster mitigation agency said Wednesday.

More than 2,500 people were heavily injured in the 7.5-magnitude quake and deadly tsunami waves it triggered last Friday, the agency said.

Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 250 million people, sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" and is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Government seismologists monitor more than 120 active volcanoes.</s>The Soputan volcano has erupted just days after a tsunami hit the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. Volcanic ash can be seen up to 4,000 metres in the air. So far no casualties have been reported as a result of the eruption. Elsewhere the total death toll so far has reached nearly 1,400, with hundreds of people still unaccounted for</s>JAKARTA, Indonesia — An Indonesian island devastated by a powerful earthquake and tsunami that has killed at least 1,400 people was was hit with another natural disaster early Wednesday: A volcanic eruption.

A government volcanologist said it's possible the eruption of Mount Soputan, on the island of Sulawesi, was accelerated by Friday's 7.5 magnitude temblor.

"It could be that this earthquake triggered the eruption, but the direct correlation has yet to be seen," Kasbani, the head of Indonesia's Vulcanology and Geology Disaster Mitigation agency, told online news portal Tempo.

Kasbani, who uses one name, said volcanic activity had been increasing at Soputan since August and began surging Monday. No evacuations were immediately ordered after Wednesday's eruption, which sent ash 19,700 feet — more 3.7 miles — into the sky.

Nazli Ismail, a geophysicist at University of Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh on Sumatra island, urged caution and stressed there was no concrete evidence to show they are linked.

"People talk about the butterfly effect. The concept is that when a butterfly flaps its wings, it can cause a catastrophe," he said. "So it is possible for the earthquake to trigger the volcano eruption, but it's not conclusive."

Nazri said the Soputan volcano eruption isn't surprising as Indonesia sits on the seismically active Pacific "Ring of Fire," and Soputan is one of the most active volcanoes on the island.

Planes were warned of the ash clouds because volcanic ash is hazardous for their engines.

The earthquake in Central Sulawesi set off a tsunami and has devastated several communities.

Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 250 million people and government seismologists monitor more than 120 active volcanoes.</s>A volcano has erupted four times on the same Indonesian island already devastated by an earthquake and tsunami that killed more than 1,400 people.

Sulawesi's latest disaster happened as search teams continue to recover bodies from buildings flattened by Friday's 7.5-magnitude quake and tsunami waves up to 20ft high.

Two volcanic earthquakes were detected as Mount Soputan spewed a massive column of ash and smoke more than 20,00ft into the air during Wednesday's eruptions.

People living within a 2.5-mile radius of the peak were told to flee amid fears that villages could be hit by lava and falling volcanic ash.

The threat level was raised to "standby", meaning people living close to the volcano should move back and carry masks with them in case of falling ash.

Residents were also warned of post-eruption lava flows which can be carried away by rivers.

In August, a series of major quakes killed over 500 people in the tourist island of Lombok and destroyed dozens of villages along its northern coast.

Planes were instructed to avoid the airspace around the volcano.

Asep Saifullah, head of the observation post in Silian, told local media that the volcano had erupted four times by lunchtime on Wednesday.

The first happened at 8.47am local time, following by a second eruption at 10.44am.

The third and fourth eruptions occurred at 11.12am and 11.52am.

With a summit of just over 5,850ft, Mount Soputan is on the north-eastern arm of Sulawesi, about 400 miles from the coastal city of Palu, one of the main areas devastated by last week's double disaster.

This is the fifth eruption this decade, with the most recent ones happening in January 2015 and January 2016.

Wednesday's eruptions came as hopes of finding people alive after the earthquake and tsunami started to fade five days on.

Time is running out for anyone trapped under collapsed buildings, with the death toll soaring in the last few days.

Aid workers warned of increasing desperation in hard-hit outlying areas that have yet to get any help at all.

Britain is sending a military plane with emergency aid to help the survivors.

Hotels, shopping malls and thousands of houses in Palu collapsed when the quake hit on Friday evening.

Coastal areas were then devastated by tsunami waves as high as 20ft.

About 1,700 houses in one neighbourhood alone were swallowed up by ground liquefaction, which happens when soil shaken by an earthquake behaves like a liquid, and hundreds of people are believed to have perished, Reuters reports.

President Joko Widodo made a second visit to Sulawesi on Wednesday, promising survivors that relief efforts - including the distribution of food, tents and other supplies, and the restoration of electricity - were being ramped up.

Officials fear the toll could soar again as most of the confirmed dead have come from Palu.

Losses in remote areas that have been cut off by damaged roads, landslides or fallen bridges have not been determined.

Search and rescue teams have been working around the clock to look for survivors trapped in rubble and recover bodies.

Bodies have been dumped in mass graves to prevent the outbreak of disease.

Aid worker Lian Gogali told Reuters the situation in badly hit Donggala district was very difficult, adding: "Everyone is desperate for food and water. There's no food, water, or gasoline. The government is missing."

Police have done little to stop outbreaks of looting.

Indonesia has dozens of active volcanoes and sits on the horseshoe-shaped Pacific Ring of Fire, where almost all of the world's largest earthquakes occur.

It has seen a number of devastating earthquakes and tsunamis in recent years.

In 2004, a major quake off Sumatra triggered a tsunami across the Indian Ocean, killing 226,000 people in 13 countries, including more than 120,000 in Indonesia.

In August, a series of major quakes killed over 500 people in the tourist island of Lombok and destroyed dozens of villages along its northern coast.</s>Indonesia’s Mount Soputan volcano on the quake-and tsunami-hit island of Sulawesi erupted Wednesday, spewing volcanic ash 4,000 metres into the air.

The state disaster agency warned people to stay at least four kilometres (two and a half miles) away but said there was no need to evacuate for the time being.

Images showed an eruption visible for miles around, with a cloud of ash climbing in a large vertical column with a mushroom-shaped top.

Soputan is around 1,000 kilometres from the town of Palu where a 7.5 magnitude earthquake triggered a tsunami that lashed the coastline killing almost 1,400 people.

Indonesia is situated on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, a vast zone of geological instability where the collision of tectonic plates causes frequent quakes and major volcanic activity.
The Soputan volcano on Sulawesi erupts, sending ash columns 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) into the air.