AMN/ WEB DESK
A rumbling volcano in western Indonesia today unleashed an avalanche of scorching clouds down its slopes. The volcano in North Sumatra province was shooting smoke and ash more than 1,000 meters into the air Sunday morning, and hot ash clouds travelled 1 kilometer southeast, Indonesia’s Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center said.
Villagers were advised to stay 5 kilometers from the crater’s mouth and should be aware of the peril of lava, the agency said.
The 2,600-metre (8,530-feet) Sinabung was dormant for four centuries before exploding in 2010, killing two people. Another eruption in 2014 killed 17 people, while seven died in a 2016 eruption.
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, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.