Hot lava from an erupting volcano killed six people sleeping in a beach village on a small island in eastern Indonesia on Saturday, after ash and smoke from the volcano shot about a mile into the air, officials said.

A volcano has erupted in eastern Indonesia, killing five people and shooting smoke and ash up to 2,000 metres into the air.

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake rocked a 1,240-mile swathe of Indonesia for two minutes, sending panicked residents fleeing to higher ground, fearful of a tsunami.