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Indonesia's Mount Sinabung volcano spews ash into sky

Binsar BakkaraAAP
People are warned to stay 5km from Mount Sinabung's mouth and to be aware of falling ash and debris.
Camera IconPeople are warned to stay 5km from Mount Sinabung's mouth and to be aware of falling ash and debris. Credit: AP

Indonesia’s rumbling Mount Sinabung has erupted, spewing a thick column of volcanic ash about three kilometres into the sky.

Villages near the volcano in North Sumatra province have been relocated after past eruptions, and there were no further evacuations or casualties from the new blast on Friday.

People have been advised to stay 5km from the crater’s mouth and to be aware of falling ash and avalanches of volcanic debris.

Activity at the volcano was increasing, with at least 15 smaller eruptions recorded in the past week, said Armen Putra, an official at the Sinabung monitoring post.

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“The potential for eruption is still high. There will be more eruption in the near future,” Putra said.

VideoMount Sinabung volcano erupts in Indonesia

The eruption follows a similar explosion earlier this year when hot ash was spewed five kilometres high into the sky.

The March event was captured on camera from a nearby village. Watch in the player above.

Sinabung is one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia, and about 30,000 people have been forced to leave nearby homes in the past few years.

Sinabung is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which is on the “Ring of Fire”, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Ocean.

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