JAKARTA, Indonesia — An Indonesian island devastated by a powerful earthquake and tsunami that has killed at least 1,400 people was was hit with another natural disaster early Wednesday: A volcanic eruption. READ MORE: Death toll after Indonesia earthquake, tsunami soars to over 1,200

A government volcanologist said it’s possible the eruption was accelerated by the magnitude 7.5 earthquake that struck on Friday. No evacuations were immediately ordered after Wednesday's eruption, which sent ash 19,700 feet — more 3.7 miles — into the sky. Natural disasters continue to plague Indonesia, with the Mount Soputan volcano erupting on the island of Sulawesi just days after a devastating tsunami, triggered by a massive earthquake, struck the island, killing hundreds.After months of increased seismic activity, the Soputan volcano finally blew off steam on Wednesday morning, sending an ash column as high as 4,000 meters into the air. A volcano erupted Wednesday on the same central Indonesian island struck last week by a powerful earthquake and tsunami, and authorities warned planes about volcanic ash in the air. The earthquake set off a tsunami and devastated several communities, with the official death toll rising Wednesday to 1,407 and expected to increase further. Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 250 million people, sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" and is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
The Soputan volcano on Sulawesi erupts, sending ash columns 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) into the air.