Nearly 3,000 people have been evacuated from their homes after Indonesia upgraded the threat posed by a volcano on Sumatra to the highest possible level, an official said on Thursday.
Authorities raised the alert status of Mount Sinabung — a highly active volcano on Indonesia's westernmost island — late Tuesday after a "sharp rise" in activity, said national disaster management agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.
The amount of hot ash, smoke and rock spewing from the volcano has ramped up significantly since Sunday, with lava visible at the crater, the Mount Sinabung Observation Station chief Armen Putra said.
Military based in the area told AFP that soldiers and police yesterday evacuated 2,730 residents from four villages within a danger zone around the south and southeast of the volcano.