Mt. Sinabung erupted again on Sunday, the third time the Indonesian volcano has blown in the last three months and the fourth time since its devastating eruption in 2010, Nature World News reported. Its four-mile spout was even more powerful than in late October, when it projected ash about two miles.
For 10 thunderous minutes Sinabung shot ash high into the air.
Just like the Oct. 24 eruption, no injuries or deaths were reported, according to Nature World News. When it first erupted in 2010 after many centuries of inactivity, two people died and 30,000 evacuated their homes, according to ABC News. In September there were no deaths, but a few locals were hospitalized from ash inhalation.
"The evacuation aims to protect the local residents from the effects caused by the increased volcanic activities of Mt.Sinabung," National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nogroho told The Jakarta Post.
Nearby villages were evacuated again on Sunday - even before Sinabung erupted. Scientists raised the volcano's status from "caution" to "alert" early on Sunday, Nature World News reported.
"Based on volcano-monitoring data, it was found that increased seismic activities had occurred in Mt Sinabung while it continued to spew ash rising kilometers into the air," National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told The Post.
About 1,300 people have left so far. That number is expected to decrease as more villagers plan their retreat, Nature World News reported.
Mt. Sinabung (8,530 feet) is one of 128 active volcanoes in Indonesia that contribute to the Pacific Rim of Fire, a string of seismic fault lines, oceanic trenches, and volcanic belts, according to ABC News.
