Indonesian volcano erupts again, 20,000 people evacuated

Mount Sinabung, the nearly dormant volcano in the island of Sumatra in Indonesia erupted anew after Sunday's first eruption in nearly 400 years, sending some 20,000 people to temporary shelters in the surrounding areas.

The latest major eruption came after most of the villagers living in the surrounding areas started returning home Thursday from their temporary shelters after Sunday's first eruption. AFP/Yahoo news reports:

"The volcano erupted at 4:38 am and lasted for 13 minutes, sending a column of ash as high as 3,000 metres into the air. This is the biggest eruption," government volcanologist Agus Budianto told AFP.

He said there had been "intense magma movement" inside the volcano since Thursday evening. When the eruption finally came, it was felt eight kilometres (five miles) away.

Budianto said there was another, smaller eruption at 6:05 pm and urged people not to return to the area.

Volcanologists said Sinabung's long sleep had made it highly unpredictable. "We must remain on alert for unpredictable events as this mountain has been dormant for hundreds of years," Budianto said. Mount Sinabung has been inactive for many years with the previous eruption event occurring in 1600. The volcano rises above 8,000 feet above the ground and has been considered inactive for the last 400 years.