Indonesian volcano

Thousands flee as Indonesian volcano erupts.

An Indonesian volcano spewed a vast cloud of smoke and ash high into the air on Monday, disrupting flights and sending thousands more people into temporary shelters, officials said.

Airlines were warned to avoid remote Mount Sinabung in northern Sumatra as it erupted for a second day after springing to life for the first time in four centuries.

"It erupted again at 6:30 am (2330 GMT) and lasted about 15 minutes. The smoke and ash reached at least 2,000 metres (6,600 feet)," government volcanologist Agus Budianto said.

The eruption was bigger than Sunday's when 2,460-metre (8,100-foot) Sinabung rumbled into action for the first time since 1600, adding its name to the list of 69 active volcanoes in the sprawling Southeast Asian archipelago.

Another 3,000 people arrived at temporary shelters today, bringing the total in government care to 21,000, disaster management official Andes Mbaga said.

Sixteen shelters have been set up to accommodate people who evacuated their villages as ash and stones fell around the fertile farming area early on Sunday.

Witnesses said a strong smell of sulphur filled the air and many people fled their homes on foot before receiving the order to evacuate. Authorities have ordered everyone within a six-kilometre (3.7-mile) "danger zone" to leave.

Marsita Sembiring, a vegetable farmer, said she fled Sukanalu village, which is about four kilometres from the volcano with her husband and four children on Sunday.

They spent the day at a shelter in the town of Kabanjahe, 20 kilometres from Sinabung, but returned to the village for the night to protect their home from looters.

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