REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, MEDAN -- The number of local residents killed in an eruption of Mount Sinabung located in Karo District, North Sumatra, climbed to six, and three others were in critical condition.

"Provisional data show that there were nine victims, comprising six deaths and three sustaining serious burn injuries due to hot clouds of ash," spokesman of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBN) Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told the press here, Sunday.

The victims are residents of Gamber Village, Simpang Empat Sub-district, Karo District, North Sumatra.

The volcano erupted and unleashed hot clouds of ash on May 21 at 4:48 p.m. local time.

Those who were killed are Karman Milala (60), Irwansyah Sembiring (17), Nantin Br. Sitepu (54). Leo Perangin-angin, Ngulik Ginting and Ersada Ginting (55).

The injured villagers are Ibrahim Sembiring (57), Cahaya Sembiring (75), and Cahaya br Tarigan (45).

A search and rescue (SAR) team comprising military and police officers, social workers and volunteers, continued to look for more victims in the village.

"It is not known how many people were in Gamber village when the eruption happened. The location should have been vacant," he said.

The village is located within a four kilometer radius from the top of the mountain and was supposed to be uninhabited and left vacant as it falls in the red zone (danger zone).

Most Gamber villagers had evacuated a long time ago and were resettled at a new location.

For the time being, the villagers were given land on rent for farming and also rented houses to stay to prevent them from conducting farming activities in their former village.

However, some of them ignored the ban and braved danger to conduct farming in the danger zone, Sutopo explained.

Sutopo pointed out that the chief of the BNPB, Willem Rampangilei, has ordered the BNPB's quick reaction team to immediately leave for Karo to accompany the local officials and deal with the emergency situation.

"The chief of the Karo district military command, as the commander of the emergency response team, must coordinate the search and rescue efforts, tighten surveillance and patrolling so that the red zone is really clear of any activity," he elaborated.

Mount Sinabung was currently displaying intense activity after it spewed hot smoke as far as 4.5 kilometers away reaching Lao Borus river westward.

The volcanic ash billowed up to three thousand meters high and the mountain is still under an alert status with eruption potential remained high and could happen at any time.

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