The volcano located on the Sumatra island began erupting earlier today and unleashed a 5km ash column into the atmosphere, the National Board for Disaster Management said. The dramatic eruption also sent hot gas clouds more than 4km down the slopes of Mount Sinabung. Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for the National Board for Disaster Management, said there were no fatalities or injuries from the eruption. But communities surrounding the 2,460m volcano had to be evacuated on Monday morning amid fears over citizens’ safety.

A warning notice has also been issued to airlines as the rumbling volcano continues to unleash hot clouds of ash. Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology warned: “There will likely be disruptions to flights in the vicinity of Mt Sinabung in Northern Sumatra, Indonesia, following a large eruption at 12.53pm AEDT today. “The eruption has sent volcanic ash 55 000 feet into the atmosphere. “The Bureau of Meteorology's Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) has briefed airlines and will continue to work closely with the aviation industry.”

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. Mr Nugroho said hot ash cloud travelled as far as 4,900 metres southward and 3,500 northeast. He said: “Mount Sinabung erupted this morning with high ash column reached approximately 5,000m sounds rumbling and hot clouds accompanied with the range to the northeast as far as 3,500m and southwards as far as 4,900m.”

The Disaster Management Centre said five districts in Karo, North Sumatra were darkened by dust from the ash cloud which descended on villages around the volcano. The regional volcanic ash advisory centre in Darwin, Australia issued a “red notice” to airlines. Mount Sinabung has erupted intermittently since late 2013, displacing thousands of people. The volcano alert level has been kept at its highest since June 2015.</s>Rumbling Mount Sinabung on the Indonesian island of Sumatra shot billowing columns of ash more than 5,000 meters (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 traveled as far as 4,900 meters southward.

The regional volcanic ash advisory center 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.

Mount 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.</s>Rumbling Mount Sinabung on the Indonesian island of Sumatra shot billowing columns of ash more than 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 traveled as far as 4,900 meters southward.

The regional volcanic ash advisory center 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.

Mount 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.</s>JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Rumbling Mount Sinabung on the Indonesian island of Sumatra shot billowing columns of ash more than 5,000 meters (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 traveled as far as 4,900 meters southward.

The regional volcanic ash advisory center 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.

Mount 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.</s>Dramatic before and after images show a huge chunk of the volcano missing from the peak after the rugged hills, located on the Sumatra island, began erupting on Monday and unleashed a 5km ash column into the atmosphere.

The eruption also sent hot gas clouds more than 4km down the slopes of Mount Sinabung, according to the National Board for Disaster Management.

Indonesia's Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation revealed the summit had been "completely annihilated".

The chunk, known as the "lava dome", had a volume of at least 1.6million cubic metres.</s>Mount Sinabung: Airlines issue 'red notice' as Indonesian volcano erupts on island of Sumatra

Mount Sinabung on the Indonesian island of Sumatra has shot billowing columns of ash more than five kilometres into the atmosphere and hot clouds down its slopes.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency said there were no fatalities or injuries from the eruption on Monday (local time).

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

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 4.9 kilometres south.

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

Mount Sinabung is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia and 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.

Meanwhile, more than 400 flights were cancelled in November after Bali's main airport was closed amid warnings of a potential volcanic eruption at Mount Agung.

Mount Agung had been hurling clouds of white and grey ash about three kilometres into the atmosphere, prompting the evacuation of about 150,000 people.

It was estimated the threat of the eruption cost the island $1.5 billion in cancellations.</s>A red warning was issued to airlines after a volcano erupted in Indonesia sending hot dense clouds of ash shooting more than 16,400ft (5,000m) into the air and rolling down its slopes on Monday.

Despite dramatic images emerging from the scene at Mount Sinabung on the island of Sumatra, there were no reported fatalities or injuries from the morning eruption.

Three volcanoes are currently erupting in Indonesia, which is located on the fault lines around the Pacific Basin known as the "Ring of Fire".

25 people were killed in Mount Sinabung eruptions in recent years.

Seven people were killed in 2016, 16 people died in the 2014 explosion and two people were killed when in 2010.

Prior to 2010, the volcano had been dormant for approximately 400 years.

Hot ash clouds have already travelled as far as three miles (4.km) south of the volcano, disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

Mount Sinabung has released so much ash that a red notice was issued to airlines by the regional volcanic ash advisory centre in Darwin, Australia

Approximately 30,000 people have been forced to leave homes around the mountain in the recent years.

Cameraman James Reynolds took photos of the explosions and shared the images on Twitter.

He assured worried netizens on the social media platform that a strict exclusion zone was in place around the volcano as it has been active for years.

"Hopefully no-one caught up in this one," he wrote.</s>Rumbling Mount Sinabung on the Indonesian island of Sumatra shot billowing columns of ash more than 16,400ft (5,000m) into the atmosphere and sent 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 three miles (4.km) south.

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.

Mount 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.</s>A major volcanic eruption in Indonesia has propelled ash and rock more than 5,000m (16,400ft) into the sky.

Hot ash clouds rushed down the sides of Mount Sinabung in the aftermath of the eruption on Monday morning and spread for three miles.

"This was the biggest eruption for Sinabung this year," the country's volcanology agency said.

A video by the Indonesian Red Cross showed thick layers of ash covering roads and houses, with one official claiming it was "pitch black" in some villages as visibility plunged to as little as 5m (16ft).

The charity has asked for volunteers to help comb affected areas and get in touch with residents who are still in their houses.

Officials are reportedly handing out masks to try to protect people from the volcano's dust, which is filled with sharp particles that can damage the lungs and cause breathing problems.

According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, there were no initial reports of injuries or fatalities.

Planes travelling in the area have been issued a "red notice" warning by the regional volcanic ash advisory centre in Darwin, Australia.

Mount Sinabung killed two people when it roared back to life in 2010 after lying dormant for 400 years.

Sixteen people died when it erupted in 2014, and seven more lost their lives in 2016.

An estimated 30,000 people living near the mountain have been forced to leave their homes over the past eight years.

Indonesia is home to around 130 volcanoes due to its position in the highly active "Ring of Fire" - a belt of tectonic plate boundaries in the Pacific Ocean which is vulnerable to frequent seismic activity.

Mount Sinabung is one of three volcanoes currently erupting in the area.</s>The eruption of Indonesia's Mount Sinabung, which shot ash five kilometres high, also "annihilated" the mountain's summit.

Before and after images from Indonesia's Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation show an enormous chunk missing from the peak.

Volcanologist Devy Kamil Syahbana said the chunk, known as the "lava dome", had a volume of at least 1.6 million cubic metres (56.5 million cubic feet).

The volcano in North Sumatra, which has been active since 2010, erupted explosively on Monday morning.

Hot ash clouds rolled down its slopes, travelling as far as 4.9 kilometres from the crater.

Video showed screaming children fleeing a school outside the exclusion zone that surrounds the volcano as a billowing column of ash rose in the background.
Indonesia's Mount Sinabung has a massive eruption, completely destroying the volcano's peak, with ash reaching over 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) high. Much of the surrounding area is covered with ash.