Indonesia's Mount Sinabung, Merapi Volcanoes Erupt

Indonesia's volcanoes- Mount Sinabung and Mount Merapi - erupted Monday, spewing ash and causing another wave of mass evacuation in the country.

Mount Sinabung, which has been erupting on and off since September this year, sent ash some 8,000 meters (26,000 feet) into the air, AFP reported.

The latest eruption occurred Monday at 07:04 pm (local time).Villagers reported hearing a loud roar before the eruption, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

Mount Sinabung had remained inactive for over a century before erupting in 2010.  In September, the volcano erupted again, which led to an evacuation of 14,000 people.

Over 1,300 people were evacuated after Mount Sinabung erupted earlier this month. The latest eruption means that the villagers around the volcano won't be able to return home soon.

The Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation has warned people not to venture too close to the mountain.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, chief of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said that Mount Merapi erupted between 4:50 to 06:00 pm (local time) and sent up a massive column of ash about 2,000 meters (6,500 feet), AFP reported. Merapi, located in the main island of Java, is the most active volcano in Indonesia.

"The peak was not visible due to the thick haze. Massive rumbling was heard for around two minutes. However, the outer observation post said that the mount had only spewed black smoke," Purwono, the officer at Mount Merapi Observation Post in Babadan said Monday, ANTARA news reported.

One of the worst volcanic eruption in recent years occurred at Merapi in 2010 that killed about 350 people, LiveScience reported. Indonesia has about 130 active volcanoes.