Thousands evacuated as volcano erupts in Indonesia

PanARMENIAN.Net - Nearly 6,000 people have been evacuated from their villages following the eruption of Mount Sinabung in western Indonesia, the Associated Press reports.

The 2,600-meter (8,530-feet) volcano in North Sumatra province erupted early Sunday, Sept 15, after being dormant for three years, sending thick ash into the sky with small rocks pelting neighboring villages.

National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said Monday that 5,956 people were evacuated and are being sheltered in seven locations.

Most of the displaced were from six villages located within a 3-kilometer radius of the mountain in Karo district, Nugroho said.

Mount Sinabung's last eruption in August 2010 killed two people and forced some 30,000 to flee. The eruption caught many scientists off guard because the volcano had been quiet for four centuries and was not monitored.

In August, gushing hot lava from erupting volcano in Mount Rokatenda killed six people sleeping in a beach village in eastern Indonesia, after ash and smoke shot up to 2,000 meters (6,560 feet) into the air.

Nearly 3,000 people were evacuated from the area on Palue island. The volcano has been rumbling since October 2012.

Indonesia, an archipelago of 240 million people, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity because it sits along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a horseshoe-shaped series of fault lines.