Volcano erupts in central Indonesia, triggering evacuation

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Volcano erupts in central Indonesia, triggering evacuation

By Ali Kotarumalos, The Associated Press | The Canadian Press – 28 minutes ago

JAKARTA, Indonesia - An Indonesian volcano spit lava and smoke thousands of feet

into the air early Friday, sending panicked residents fleeing down its slopes.

There were no immediate reports of causalities.

The first eruption at Mount Lokon occurred at 10:46 p.m., said Rulrone, a

disaster management agency official. It was followed by a second powerful blast

just after midnight and a third at 1:10 a.m.

Darwis Sitinjak, another disaster official, told El Shinta radio from the scene

that soldiers and police were helping rescuers evacuate about 500 people who

live along the mountain's fertile slopes.

They join 2,000 others who fled Wednesday after being warned to stay far from

the 5,741-foot (1,750-meter) volcano, which has been on high alert for nearly a

week, with small eruptions daily.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago of 235 million people, is prone to earthquakes and

volcanoes because it sits along the Pacific " Ring of Fire, " a horseshoe-shaped

string of faults that lines the Pacific Ocean.

Mount Lokon, in north Sulawesi province, is one of the country's 129 active

volcanos.

Its last major eruption in 1991 killed a Swiss hiker and forced thousands of

people to flee their homes.