Indonesian volcano erupts a second time

Indonesia's Mount Sinabung volcano, on the island of Sumatra, erupted for a second time on Monday polluting the sky with thick grey smoke. Flights were disrupted and thousands of people fled for temporary shelters.

Photo: Reuters/Tarmizy Harva

"It erupted again at 06:30 (00:30 CET) and lasted about 15 minutes. The smoke and ash reached at least 2,000 metres," government volcanologist Agus Budianto said.

The eruption was bigger than Sunday's when 2,460-metre Sinabung rumbled into action for the first time since 1600. It becomes one of 69 active volcanoes in the southeast Asian archipelago.

Several domestic flights were cancelled on Sunday due to the smoke and airlines have been warned to avoid northern Sumatra.

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

Authorities have ordered everyone within a six-kilometre "danger zone" to leave.

"There's little data on Mount Sinabung. The eruption took the experts by surprise. We don't know when it might erupt again so, it's best for people to stay away until the experts can determine when it's safe to go home," said Disaster Management Agency spokesman Priyadi Kardono.