Indonesian volcano erupts again

Mount Sinabung, one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes in North Sumatra, erupted again Friday dashing the hopes of 17,094 evacuees staying in shelters of returning home soon, officials said here.

The eruptions belched ash 1,500 metres into the sky and seismic activity in Karo district remained high, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of national disaster management and mitigation agency, told Xinhua.

Indonesia has been on red alert since the national volcanology agency raised the threat level of the volcano last month and extended the evacuation zone from 3 km to 5 km.

Indonesia has issued a warning to international and domestic flights to re-route their pathway near Mount Sinabung since it erupted, with the biggest eruption on Nov 18.

The 2,475-metre high Mount Sinabung first rumbled to life in September after being dormant for three years. The volcano has erupted intermittently since then.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago country with 17,500 islands, is home to 129 active volcanoes and is located in a vulnerable earthquake-prone zone known as the 'Pacific Ring of Fire'.