AlHijjah 19, 1434, Oct 24, 2013, SPA -- A disaster official said a volcano in western Indonesia has unleashed a column of dark volcanic material high into the air weeks after villagers fled from an earlier eruption, AP reported. National Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho says Thursday's explosion at Mount Sinabung, located in North Sumatra province, shot black ash 3 kilometers (nearly 2 miles) into the air. There were no reports of injuries or damage. The spokesman says villages, farms and trees around the 2,600-meter (8,530-feet) volcano were covered in thick gray ash, forcing authorities to evacuate more than 3,300 people from 11 hard-hit villages. Last month, more than 15,000 people were forced to flee when the volcano rumbled to life. Mount Sinabung is among 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which is prone to seismic upheaval.
