Volcano delays Yudhoyono's departure

JAKARTA, Sept. 7 (UPI) -- A volcano on the Indonesian island of Sumatra erupted Tuesday, forcing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to delay leaving the island after visiting refugees.

Presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said Yudhoyono delayed his return to Jakarta for about an hour after spending a day visiting shelters housing more than 21,000 refugees and inspecting disaster management operations, The Jakarta Post reported.

Yudhoyono asked residents to be patient while in the shelters and return home only after the volcano no longer posed a threat, the Post said.

"I understand it's not pleasant to stay in these shelters for days but I hope you can all be patient and pray that Mount Sinabung will no longer be dangerous so you can all return to your homes," he told evacuees.

He also urged the North Sumatra provincial administration to properly care for the evacuees, especially their psychological health.

"Pay attention to the condition of evacuees. Prevent infectious diseases and epidemics. The people's health should be a priority," Yudhoyono said.

Mount Sinabung shot black ash thousands of feet into the air after midnight Tuesday in its latest eruption since coming back to life several days ago after being dormant for 400 years.

Two deaths reported Aug. 30 were tied to the volcano's eruptions, CNN said.

"The two people died because of heart attack and respiratory complication," said Priyadi Kardono of the National Disaster Coordination Agency.

Ash rained down on areas about 3.7 miles from the volcano and the force of the eruption rattled areas up to 7 1/2 miles away, officials said.