MOUNT SINABUNG, Indonesia (AP) – A volcano that is swaying on the Indonesian island of Sumatra triggered an avalanche of burning gas clouds over its slopes during an eruption on Thursday. No casualties were reported.
Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra province was blowing smoke and ash up to 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) into the air and hot ash clouds were blowing 3 kilometers to the southeast, Central Indonesia said. of Geological Risk Mitigation and Volcanology.
There were no casualties from the eruption, said Armen Putra, an official at the Sinabung watchtower. He said villagers were advised to stay 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) from the mouth of the crater and should be aware of the danger of lava.
An alert has been maintained at the second highest level, while authorities are closely monitoring the volcano after sensors have increased activity in recent weeks.
The 2,600-meter (8,530-foot) mountain has been climbing since last year. It sent volcanic materials more than 5,000 meters (16,400 feet) into the sky and deposited ash in nearby villages when it erupted earlier this month.
About 30,000 people have been forced to flee their homes around Sinabung in recent years.
Sinabung was dormant for four centuries before exploding in 2010 and killed two people. Another eruption in 2014 killed 17 people, while seven died in a 2016 eruption.
The volcano, one of two currently erupting in Indonesia, has come to life sporadically since then.
Sinabung is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which are prone to seismic disturbances due to its location in the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines surrounding the Pacific basin.