Indonesia’s Mount Sinabung volcano spews new burst of hot ash

A rumbling volcano in western Indonesia on Sunday unleashed an avalanche of scorching clouds down its slopes.

Authorities are closely monitoring Mount Sinabung on Sumatra, one of Indonesia’s main islands, after sensors picked up increasing activity in past weeks.

The volcano in North Sumatra province was shooting smoke and ash more than 1,000 metres (3,280 feet) into the air on Sunday morning, and hot ash clouds travelled 1km southeast, Indonesia’s Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Centre said.

Villagers were advised to stay 5km from the crater’s mouth and should be aware of the peril of lava, the agency said. Air travel was not impacted by the ash so far, the Transport Ministry said.

There were no casualties from the eruption, said Armen Putra, an official at the Sinabung monitoring post. He said villages outside the red zone were not in immediate danger.