Indonesia: Mount Sinabung erupts spewing ash into the sky

Indonesia's Mount Sinabung, Karo Regency, North Sumatra province, erupted on 16 June, sending clouds of ash into the sky.

The eruption was the latest since the government put the volcano on its highest alert status earlier in June. Nearly 3,000 people have been forced to flee their homes since Saturday 13 June.

Armen Putra, head of Sinabung observation centre, confirmed the volcano eruption.

"Volcanic activity of Mount Sinabung increased this morning when hot ash spewed as far as 2.5km at 7.30am. Around 8.16am, the hot ash was spewing towards south east and the wind direction was heading towards the east [of the mountain]," he said,

"The eruption continues. Our data showed an eruption this morning went on for 290 seconds," Putra added.

Mount Sinabung is one of nearly 130 active volcanoes in Indonesia that stand along the Ring of Fire volcanic belt around the shores of the Pacific Ocean.

The volcano has become increasingly active in recent years. Over tens of thousands of residents were evacuated after it erupted in February 2014, killing 11 people.

The volcano had been inactive for four centuries before first erupting in August 2010.