Indonesia's Mount Sinabung erupts sending plume of smoke and ash into sky
10 August 2020, 10:19
Volcanic materials were blasted as high as 16,400ft into the sky as Indonesia's Mount Sinabung volcano has erupted.
Officials have advised villagers to stay at least three miles from the site of the volcano local authorities reminding people of the danger of lava.
Activity had picked up in recent days, including a pair of smaller eruptions at the weekend.
There were no reports of injuries or deaths, but authorities warned of possible lava flows.
"People living nearby are advised to be on alert for the potential appearance of lava," Indonesia's Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Centre said in a statement.
Around 30,000 people have been forced to leave their homes around the mountain over the last few years, but authorities have said there were no fatalities or injuries from the eruption on Sumatra Island.
The eruption caused a huge column of ash and smoke to be jetted into the air and coating local communities in debris.
Local reports said a thick layer of ash covered several villages as far as 12 miles away from the crater.
"The sound was like thunder, it lasted for less than 30 seconds," resident Fachrur Rozi Pasi told Reuters.
The volcano, one of two currently erupting in Indonesia, was dormant for four centuries before exploding in 2010, killing two people.
Another eruption in 2014 killed 16 people, while seven died in a 2016 eruption.
Sinabung is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.
