JAKARTA: A volcano on the Indonesian island of Sumatra erupted for the first time in 400 years Sunday, spewing a vast cloud of smoke and ash into the air and sending thousands of people fleeing from their homes. Indonesia issued a red alert after the Sinabung volcano erupted, blanketing the area in thick and acrid black smoke, disaster officials said, although no casualties have yet been reported. "It's clearly dangerous so we've raised the warning to the highest level, or red level," said Surono, head of the nation's volcano disaster alert centre. "From the crater, it shot smoke and volcanic ash 1,500 metres (5,000 feet) into the sky," he told AFP. "Initially we thought the ash and smoke were triggered by rain but now we know the driving pressure was from magma." The 2,460-metre (8,100 feet) Sinabung in northern Sumatra has not erupted for more than 400 years b...
broadcasting latest, informative, in depth and significant news with untold stories for you.