Indonesian volcano erupts, killing 3

JAKARTA, Indonesia — A volcano in western Indonesia unleashed hot clouds of ash Saturday, killing three villagers and injuring four others.

Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra province blasted volcanic ash as high as 2 miles into the sky, said National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho. He said ash tumbled down the slopes as far as 3 miles westward into a river.

Clouds of ash rise from Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra, Indonesia, on Saturday. The Associated Press

The 8,530-foot-high mountain had been dormant for four centuries before springing to life in August 2010, killing two people and forcing 30,000 to flee. An eruption in February 2014 killed 16 people.

All the victims of Saturday's eruption were working on their farms in the village of Gamber, about 2.5 miles away from the slope, or within the danger area. Video images showed dead farm animals covered in dust.

Mount Sinabung is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which is prone to seismic upheaval on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

Source: Indonesian volcano erupts, killing 3