Indonesia: Mt. Soputan Volcanic Eruption - May 1984

Mt. Soputan in north Sulawesi province started erupting at 2205h local time on 25 May, spewing columns of smoke with fire more than 3,000 meters high. Scores of houses were destroyed by burning rocks and ash but no casualties were reported. Villages within a radius of 10 kilometers from the volcanic center were declared as danger zones. An estimated 32,000 persons were in 19 villages around the volcano. Mt. Soputan last erupted in 1982, destroying hundreds of farms and forcing people to abandon villages. (UN DHA, 28 May 1984)