Videos published on social media show the ashes of Mount Marapi, on the island of Sumatra, being observed more than 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) above its peak
+ Click here to see the eruption video
The volcano located in the west of Indonesia erupted this Sunday, expelling an ash column about three kilometers high, according to Hendra Gunawan, head of the Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation.
There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties after the eruption at 14:54 local time (07:54 GMT).
“The eruption is still ongoing,” said Gunawan in a statement.
The volcano, with a peak of 2,891 meters, is at the third highest level of alert in Indonesia’s four-stage system, and authorities have imposed an exclusion zone around the crater of Marapi.
Ahmad Rifandi, an employee at the Mount Marapi monitoring station, observed ash rain after the eruption.
“The ash rain reached the city of Bukittinggi,” he said, referring to the third largest city in West Sumatra, which has a population of more than 100,000.
Mount Marapi, which means “Mountain of Fire,” is the most active volcano on the island of Sumatra.
The Indonesian archipelago lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity.
In May, its most active volcano, Mount Merapi in Java, expelled lava more than two kilometers from its crater.
The Southeast Asian country has nearly 130 active volcanoes.
Videos and photos: Reproduction Telegram Disaster_News and Twitter @volcaholic1
