Thousands Flee Indonesian Volcano Eruption

Mount Sinabung in the Karo district of North Sumatra

Nearly six thousand people have fled their homes on Indonesia's Sumatra island after a huge volcanic eruption at the weekend, officials said, as the volcano belched out more smoke Monday.

Mount Sinabung in the Karo district of North Sumatra province erupted before dawn on Sunday, spewing rocks and red-hot ash onto nearby villages.

"The number of evacuees has risen to 5,956 people," said national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, adding they were mostly from six villages in a three-kilometre (1.9-mile) zone around the volcano.