*******, Indonesia – A volcano in western Indonesia has sent a new, powerful burst of hot ash into the air.  The volcano, which is located in North Sumatra province, is quite a distance from the popular tourist area of Bali, but much closer to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

National ******** management agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho says Mount Sinabung erupted for about 15 minutes Wednesday, creating an ********* of hot clouds as far away as 2 kilometres (about a mile) from the peak.

Nugroho says the eruption of the 2,600-meter (8,530-foot) volcano in North Sumatra province didn’t cause more evacuations, and its alert status remains at the third-highest level.

More than 22,000 people were evacuated from the area after eruptions earlier this year that ****** at least 16 people. Most have returned home, but about 4,700 remain in ********** centres.

Mount Sinabung, among about 130 active volcanoes in Indonesia, has sporadically erupted since 2010 after being dormant for 400 years.