Volcano erupts in Indonesia's Sumatra, triggering evacuation

Mount Sinabung volcano in Karo district of Indonesia's North Sumatra province erupted on Thursday afternoon, spewing a column of ash by up to 2 km to the sky and triggering small-scale evacuation, official said here earlier Friday.

Powerful burst of hot ash was spread from the rumbling volcano, heading 4 km away to the south of the crater and 1 km away to the southeast, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of national disaster management agency said.

Some of villagers living near the volcano have been evacuated to the safe places, Sutopo disclosed. "Some of residents of Sibintun village have to be evacuated by force by officials to other places,"he told Xinhua via phone.

Others villagers at Sigrang Garang, Kutagunggung, and Sukanalu villages located 3 km from the craters were panic and scared as they prepared for evacuation, said Sutopo. "The officials keep conducting patrol and monitoring at the field,"he revealed.

Lava floods also hit the district and damaged roads, said Sutopo.

The 2,475-meter Mount Sinabung erupted on June 29 after erupting on and off from September 2013 to February 2014, which left 15 people dead and more than 30,000 other internally displaced.

Mount 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." Endi