Indonesia’s Sinabung volcano spews ash 4,500 metres into atmosphere

Indonesia’s Mount Sinabung (Sastrawan Ginting/AP)

A rumbling volcano on the Indonesian island of Sumatra shot billowing columns of ash and hot clouds down its slopes on Wednesday.

The ash released by Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra province reached more than 4,500 metres (14,760 feet) into the atmosphere, and an avalanche of searing gas clouds blew one kilometre (0.62 miles) to the east and southeast, Indonesia’s Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Centre said.