Thousands flee volcanic eruption in Indonesia

A volcano on a remote Indonesian island has erupted and forced hundreds of people to flee.

A volcano on a remote Indonesian island has erupted and forced hundreds of people to flee.

Plumes of ash are being thrown 10,000 feet into the air over Ruang Island.

Authorities have evacuated more than 1,000 residents to nearby islands, according to the state-run news agency Antara.

No one died in the eruption on the island located about 2,200 kilometres northeast of the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, said Mr Djumarma Wirakusumah, director of the Volcanological Survey.

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The 714-metre volcano, also named Ruang, last erupted in 1949 but there have been reports of eruptions there dating back to the early 1800s, Mr Wirakusumah said.

Indonesia has hundreds of volcanoes located across the archipelago and 129 of them are active. Last year, the Merapi volcano in central Indonesia erupted, forcing the evacuation of 50 people.

PA