Disaster Agency: 5 killed as Indonesia volcano erupts, spewing ash and lava

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency says a volcano has erupted in eastern Indonesia, killing five people and shooting smoke and ash up to 2,000 metres into the air.

The agency confirmed the eruption in a Tweet, saying Mount Rokatenda in East Nusa Tenggara province erupted early Saturday morning and that the five were killed by lava flow.

Nearly 3,000 people have been evacuated from the area on Palue island. The volcano has been rumbling since October 2012.

Indonesia, an archipelago of 240 million people, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity because it sits along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped series of fault lines.