In recent days, about seven thousand 500 people left the area on their own initiative. A total of 10 thousand people have been evacuated, said Tri Budiarto, from the National Disaster Agency.

Citizens found shelter in public buildings and other locations in Kabanjahe, a city located about 10 kilometers from the volcano, on the island of Sumatra.

Sinabung spewed hot ash and rocks up to three kilometres away, and above the top it could be seen a huge column of smoke.

'The layer of ash covering roads and houses on a 15 kilometers radius measures about two millimeter', Budiarto said .

The last eruption, on February 2014, killed 16 people.

Sinabung is one of the 129 volcanoes active in Indonesia, country located on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an area where occur a large number of volcanic eruptions and strong seismic activity.