Advertisement

Indonesia’s Mount Sinabung volcano erupts, spewing ash into the sky

Click to play video: 'Indonesian volcano Mount Sinabung erupts'
Indonesian volcano Mount Sinabung erupts
WATCH ABOVE: Indonesian volcano Mount Sinabung erupts – Dec 27, 2017

Indonesia’s Mount Sinabung erupted Wednesday afternoon, leaving a thick cloud of smoke over parts of the country’s North Sumatra province.

READ MORE: If the Bali volcano’s eruption is big enough, it could change the world’s temperature

The active volcano spewed ash up to 4.6 kilometres into the sky, Reuters reported.

WATCH: Bali village coated in ash, mud rushes into river as Mount Agung volcano continues to erupt

Click to play video: 'Bali village coated in ash, mud rushes into river as Mount Agung volcano continues to erupt'
Bali village coated in ash, mud rushes into river as Mount Agung volcano continues to erupt

A spokesman for the country’s disaster management agency, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, tweeted that there were no deaths caused by the explosion.

Story continues below advertisement

“The rain of ash fell on villages East of the volcano,” he wrote in Indonesian. “There were no casualties because the red zone has already emptied. Thousands of FAMILIES will be relocated from Sinabung.”

A press release from Indonesian National Disaster Mitigation Agency urged residents to stay alert and refrain from entering the three-to-seven-kilometres danger zone around the crater.

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Mount Sinabung has caused the island to be on alert since September 2013, when it first erupted. Its previous explosions have been fatal, including one in May 2016, which killed at least seven people.

READ MORE: Kelowna residents stuck in Bali for days after airport shutdown

Indonesia has been in the news for several active volcano watches. Bali’s Mount Agung recently caused tourism to slow on the island, as evacuations were ordered and airports shut down for several days.

Story continues below advertisement

WATCH: Timelapse of Bali’s Mount Agung erupting

Click to play video: 'Timelapse of Bali’s Mount Agung erupting'
Timelapse of Bali’s Mount Agung erupting

The country has nearly 130 active volcanoes, more than any other country. Indonesia is located over the “Pacific Ring of Fire,” where the National Geographic explains 75 per cent of the world’s active volcanoes are located.

Other countries located on the so-called ring include Russia, Japan and New Zealand.

— With files from Reuters

Sponsored content

AdChoices