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A volcano on Indonesia’s Sumatra island has erupted with incredible violence, spewing a gigantic column of ash into the surrounding countryside. The extraordinary eruption even blocked out the sun as it blanketed villages in soot.

Mount Sinabung spat the enormous ash cloud five kilometers into the air on Monday, during its second eruption in three days.

Gunung Sinabung Erupsi disertai petir.Semoga aman dan sehat semua warga sekeliling gunung Sinabung@BNPB_Indonesia@binsarnixon2@FerdinandHaean3@ruhutsitompul@RudiTobinq@seputaranmedan@pak_tank@tarigan_0788pic.twitter.com/IBsj7I6eVu

Eyewitnesses reported hearing thunderous rumbling and explosion sounds. Video footage from the scene shows a giant cloud of dense ash rising high into the sky after spilling out of the mountain in Karo, North Sumatra.

Sinabung meletus kembali #sinabung#sinabungmeletus#tanahkaro#BMKG@infoBMKG@bmkgpic.twitter.com/IC8aGtQVYG

Indonesia’s Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center said there have been no fatalities from the eruption. The center urged people to be aware of the danger of lava flows, and villagers were advised to stay five kilometers (3.1 miles) from the volcano.

The phenomenal density of the ash cloud plunged the island into darkness during the middle of the day and left villages 20 kilometers away covered in soot.

It is noon in #Indonesia – the darkness you see is due to the insane amount of ash spewed by #Sinaburg#Volcano in #Sumarta, blocking the sunlight. Frightening. pic.twitter.com/91auGje5hO

Indonesia is one of the world’s most volcanically active countries. Sinabung lay dormant for around 400 years before violently rumbling back to life in 2010, killing two people. Subsequent eruptions in 2014 and 2016 killed 16 and seven people respectively, while thousands of people have been forced to flee the area in recent years due to the volcanic activity.

Selamat siang sahabat Nkri semoga sehat selalu dimanapun berada . Berikut kondisi situasi Daerah kawasan gunung sinabung dan sekitarannya. Propinsi sumatera utara pasca erupsi pic.twitter.com/DGRYz0Ifu8

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