A volcano has erupted on Indonesia's island of Sumatra, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes as black smoke and ash shot up 1,500 meters into the air.
Mount Sinabung in the north of Sumatra began erupting around Saturday midnight after rumbling for several days.
A red alert was issued for the region after the Sinabung volcano thundered back to life for the first time in 400 years.
According to Surono, head of Indonesia's Volcanology center, lava was overflowing the volcano's crater.
"This is the first time in history since 1600 that Sinabung erupted and we have little knowledge about it," Reuters quoted Surono as saying.
Authorities evacuated at least 12,000 people from high risk areas on the slopes of the 2,460-meter volcano to temporary shelters. The area around the volcano is largely agricultural.
Local people have been urged to wear face masks to avoid health problems from the volcanic ash. And those living along rivers have been told to be on alert for lava-induced floods.
There are at least 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which is part of the Asia-Pacific "Ring of Fire", a series of volcanoes and fault lines stretching from the Western Hemisphere through Japan and South East Asia.
