REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, LANGKAT -- The coordinator of the Mount Sinabung eruption shelter at Telagah Village in North Sumatra's Langkat District has suggested that refugees return home following the stable condition of the volcano.

"We recommend that the evacuees who hail from three villages return to their houses," the coordinator, Suranta Sitepu said here on Sunday.

There are three villages which are safe for the people to live such as Kebayaken, Kutambelin, and Batu Karang, he said.

The officer said the villages are now safe from the impact of the volcano's eruptions.

The total number of refugees that can return to the three villages reaches 165 people, he said.

Meanwhile, evacuees from the three villages of Sigarang-garang, Kuta Rakyat and Kuta Gugung in Naman Teran Sub-district, Tanah Karo District, are not permitted yet to return home as the villages are located in the red zone, he said.

Suranta said he will report the recommendation to the Sinabung central command post in Kabanjahe sub-district for consideration as it is related to the living cost of refugees and transportation facility.

Previously, several refugees sheltered in Kabanjahe command post were allowed to return home by receiving living cost from the disaster mitigation agency.

According to the media center, 725 refugees who inhabited the evacuation shelter comprised toddlers, children, adults and elderly persons.

On Friday (Jan 31), the Volcanology and Geology Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) stated that no significant activity had occurred on Mount Sinabung, allowing some villagers to return home.

At least 14 people were killed after Mount Sinabung spewed hot clouds that spread over 3 kilometers from the crater.

Besides, the Agriculture Ministry data noted the eruptions in North Sumatra province have led to a loss of Rp700 billion in the agricultural sector.

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