 An Indonesian volcano erupted today, sending a massive column of ash and smoke some 16,400 feet into the air, leaving local villages coated in debris and officials scrambling to hand out face masks to residents.
Mount Sinabung on Sumatra island, which has been rumbling since 2010 and saw a deadly eruption in 2016, spewed the thick plume after activity picked up recent days.
Volcanology agency chief Kasbani said this was the biggest eruption for Sinabung this year.
There were no reports of injuries or deaths.
No one lives inside a previously announced no-go zone around the volcano.
But hundreds of houses outside the seven-kilometre danger zone were covered in volcanic ash.
Officials have distributed face masks and urged local residents to stay indoors to avoid respiratory problems.
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