Mer aske over Indonesia - Curt Lewis

'Red noticed' issued to airlines as volcano eruption shoots ash 16,000ft

Mount Sinabung spews volcanic ash as it erupts in Kutarakyat, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Monday, Feb. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Endro Rusharyanto)

A warning notice was issued to airlines after a rumbling volcano in Indonesia shot billowing columns of ash more than 16,000 feet into the atmosphere.

Mount Sinabung on the island of Sumatra erupted on Monday morning, sending hot clouds down its slopes.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency said there were no fatalities or injuries.

The volcano, one of three currently erupting in Indonesia, was dormant for four centuries before exploding in 2010, killing two people.

Another eruption in 2014 killed 16 people, while seven died in a 2016 eruption.

Disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said hot ash clouds travelled as far as 16,000 feet southwards.

The regional volcanic ash advisory centre in Darwin, Australia, issued a "red notice" to airlines.

Some 30,000 people have been forced to leave homes around the mountain in the past few years.