Volcano erupts again in Indonesia

Mount Sinabung, a volcano in Indonesia's North Sumatra province, erupted again Saturday shooting a column of hot ash and injuring three people, an official said.

The 2,475-metre-high Mount Sinabung erupted three times Saturday, a day after nearly 14,000 evacuees returned home, spewing columns of ash about two km into the air and throwing rocks over a radius of 4.5 km, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for the national disaster agency, said.

"Today (Saturday) eruptions took place with hurling of hot ash, hitting three people. They are now being treated at Evarina hospital in Karo district," Sutopo told Xinhua.

"The officials are now overseeing and preventing those from returning to the zone," said Sutopo, referring to many villagers who had earlier returned to their homes.

Indonesia is enduring one of the longest series of volcano eruptions in more than 30 years with the authorities forced to deal with a rising number of refugees in North Sumatra. More than 31,000 people have been displaced, according to the agency.

Mount Sinabung has rumbled to life since last September after remaining quiet for 400 years. It has erupted on and off since then but the frequency of eruptions increased in November and December last year.