Volcano erupts in western Indonesia

JAKARTA - Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra province of western Indonesia erupted on Saturday, spewing a column of ash by up to 1.5 km, a senior official of disaster agency said.

The eruption took place at 7:46 am Jakarta time (0046 GMT), unleashing hot rock and ash to the southeast and east of the crater, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of the national disaster management agency, told Xinhua.

Tourists and visitors are barred from entering the slope of the volcano, located in Karo district, at the radius of 3 km from the crater, he said.

A warning for the danger of lava had been issued for the communities living alongside rivers with their upstream at the slope of the volcano, Sutopo said.

The 2,460-meter Mount Siabung is one of the 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia.