Indonesia’s Sinabung volcano unleashes towering ash column

Feb 19, 2018 | 6:30 AM

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Rumbling Mount Sinabung on the Indonesian island of Sumatra shot billowing columns of ash more than 5,000 metres (16,400 feet) into the atmosphere and hot clouds down its slopes on Monday.

There were no fatalities or injuries from the morning eruption, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said.

The volcano, one of three currently erupting in Indonesia, was dormant for four centuries before exploding in 2010, killing two people. 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 4,900 metres southward.