Volcano on Pacific 'Ring of Fire' erupts in Indonesia sending huge columns of ash spewing 25,000 feet into the sky
- Mount Soputan, a 6,000ft volcano in Minahasa in northern Sulawesi island, erupted twice on Sunday morning
- Residents have been warned to avoid the peak and told to wear masks in case lava comes flowing down slopes
- Soputan is one of more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia which is positioned on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire'
A volcano in central Indonesia has erupted, sending columns of thick ash spewing as high as 25,000 feet into the sky.
Mount Soputan, a 6,000ft peak in Minahasa on the northern part of Sulawesi island, erupted twice on Sunday morning.
A two-and-a-half mile exclusion zone has been enforced around the mountain as the national disaster agency warns local residents to avoid the peak.
The eruption by day: Mount Soputan in Minahasa, Indonesia, spews hot ash as high as 25,000 feet into the air on Sunday after the volcano erupted twice this morning, amid fears lava could flow into nearby rivers
The eruption by night: Lava is seen pouring out of the volcano in Indonesia, with a two-mile exclusion zone set up around the mountain, which is one of the country's more than 120 active volcanoes
Hot ash and lava could come sliding down the volcano's slopes and threaten rivers around the mountain, agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.
Residents were also urged to wear masks in case of ash rain, as authorities kept the volcano's alert level at the second-highest level.
Mount Soputan, which stands at 5,853 feet (1,784 metres) tall, is one of Indonesia's more than 120 active volcanoes.
Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 260 million people, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire.'
Lava and ash pouring from the volcano, as seen from Silian Tiga village in Indonesia after the eruptions earlier on Sunday
A view of spewing hot lava from the eruption of the volcano Mount Soputan, seen from nearby Tombatu village in Indonesia
A car is covered in volcanic dust after the mountain in the Pacific 'Ring of Fire' erupted on Sunday scattering ash into the sky
From a distance: The volcano is seen spewing out hot lava in a picture taken from the village of Tombatu in Indonesia
A woman wearing a mask - as advised by disaster recovery officials - takes a picture of the spewing hot ash in Indonesia
A closer-up view of the bright orange lava pouring out of the mountain which sent ash spewing 25,000 feet into the sky
Mount Soputan, one of the many active volcanoes in Indonesia, unleashes hot lava and ash on Sunday
We should tax volcanos. They do not care about the...
by Darvil 59