According to officials, a volcano in western Indonesia erupted on Sunday, shooting a column of ash three kilometers into the sky.
Hendra Gunawan, head of Indonesia’s Center of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation, reported seeing ash from Mount Marapi, an island in Sumatra, 3,000 meters (9,842 ft) above its top.
At 2:54 p.m. local time (0754 GMT), there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties following the eruption.
“The column of ash was observed in grey colour with thick intensity leaning toward the east,” Gunawan said in a statement.
“The eruption is still ongoing.”
The volcano, with a peak of 2,891 metres, is on the third-highest alert level of Indonesia’s four-step system and authorities imposed an exclusion zone around Marapi’s crater.
“Communities around the Marapi volcano and tourists are not allowed to hike the Marapi volcano within a three kilometre radius from its crater/peak,” Gunawan said.
Ahmad Rifandi, an official at the Mount Marapi monitoring station, told AFP that ash rain was observed after the eruption.
“For the ash rain, it has reached to Bukittinggi city,” he said, referring to the third-largest city in West Sumatra that has a population of more than 100,000.
“It is hoped for people who have activities around Marapi mountain to wear hats, glasses and masks.”
Mount Marapi, which means ‘Mountain of Fire’, is the most active volcano on Sumatra island.
The Indonesian archipelago is situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of intense seismic and volcanic activity caused by the collision of continental plates.
Java’s Mount Merapi, the most active volcano in the world, erupted in May, spewing lava almost two kilometers from its crater. The nation in Southeast Asia is home to about 130 active volcanoes.
