Mount Sinabung eruption: vast column of ash shoots thousands of feet into the sky as volcano erupts

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Fiona Simpson19 February 2018

A vast column of ash and debris shot thousands of feet into the sky in a major volcanic eruption on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

Mount Sinabung erupted early today, sending hot clouds of ash billowing down its slopes.

The country's National Disaster Mitigation Agency said there were no fatalities or injuries.

The volcano, one of three currently erupting in Indonesia, was dormant for four centuries before exploding in 2010, killing two people.

Mount Sinabung erupts - In pictures

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Another eruption in 2014 killed 16 people, while seven died in a 2016 eruption.

Disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said hot ash clouds travelled as far as 16,000 feet southwards.

The volcano last erupted in 2010, killing two people (AFP)
Anto Sembiring/AFP/Getty Images

The regional volcanic ash advisory centre in Darwin, Australia, issued a "red notice" to airlines.

Some 30,000 people have been forced to leave homes around the mountain in the past few years.

This story is being updated

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