Asia

Volcanic Eruption In Indonesia Kills At Least 7

Mount Sinabung in Indonesia erupted Saturday, killing at least seven and injuring two others. The volcano has been highly active since 2010.

Volcanic Eruption In Indonesia Kills At Least 7
Getty Images / Ulet Ifansasti
SMS

A volcano in Indonesia erupted Saturday, killing at least seven people and severely burning two more.

Mount Sinabung erupted just before 5 p.m. local time on the island of Sumatra, throwing burning hot clouds of ash and rock as high as 2 miles into the air. That pyroclastic flow then descended onto the area nearby.

The volcano had been dormant for centuries until it blew in 2010. Since then, it's been highly active, and the government declared a danger zone around the mountain.

But Indonesian officials said residents still sometimes go near Mount Sinabung to farm. They suspect that's what the victims were doing when it erupted.

Emergency crews attempted to locate survivors, but the volcano continued heaving hot ash, making rescue attempts difficult.

Mount Sinabung has killed at least 25 and displaced tens of thousands of residents since becoming active in 2010.

This video includes images from Getty Images and clips from iNewsTV and tvOne.