Indonesia volcano belches huge ash column

MEDAN: An Indonesian volcano erupted on Tuesday morning spewing a spectacular column of ash thousands of metres (feet) into a powder blue sky.

Vulcanologists recorded 13 separate blasts as Mount Sinabung leapt to life, belching debris up to 5,000 metres (16,400 feet) above Sumatra.

There was no immediate danger to life or property, authorities said, with a five-kilometre (three-mile) ring around the volcano having been left unoccupied over recent years. No evacuation orders have been issued, and there has been no reported flight disruption. But locals are taking no chances. “The residents are scared, many are staying indoors to avoid the thick volcanic ash,” Roy Bangun, 41, told AFP.