A rumbling volcano in Indonesia erupted, sending a towering column of ash more than 3 miles into the sky and raining down on nearby villages.
Mount Sinabung, located on Indonesia's Sumatra Island, has been active since 2010. A spike in its activity was observed recently, including a pair of smaller eruptions over the weekend.
The eruption of Mount Sinabung on the island of Sumatra comes after more than a year of inactivity, and authorities warned residents and tourists about possible lava flows.
Footage of the morning eruption captured by residents showed a giant cloud of thick ash rising from the peak of the 2,460-metre (8,071-ft) mountain in Karo, North Sumatra.
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An eruption in 2014 killed 16 people, while seven died in a 2016 eruption.
"The sound was like thunder, it lasted for less than 30 seconds,¡± resident Fachrur Rozi Pasi told Reuters by phone.
Residents have been advised to stay outside of a three-kilometre radius of the volcano, and to wear masks to minimise the effect of falling volcanic ash, the volcanology agency said in a statement.
No casualties have been reported and a spokeswoman for the civil aviation authority said flights were still operating in the region.
¡°The situation around Mount Sinabung is very dark now,¡± said Gilbert Sembiring, who was visiting a friend in Naman Teran Kampung, when Sinabung erupted.
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An eruption in 2014 killed 16 people, while seven died in a 2016 eruption.?The cone-shaped Mount Sinabung is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia.
The region is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific ¡°Ring of Fire¡±, an enormous network of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.