TANAH KARO, Indonesia (AP) -- An Indonesian volcano that was quiet for four centuries shot a new, powerful burst of hot ash more than 10,000 feet (three kilometers) in the air Friday, sending frightened residents fleeing to safety for the second time this week. The force of the eruption -- the strongest so far -- could be felt five miles (eight kilometers) away. "This was a big one," said 37-year-old Anto Sembiring, still shaken after abandoning his coffee shop in the middle of the danger zone. "We all ran as fast as we could. ... Everyone was panicking." The eruption of Mount Sinabung on Sunday and Monday -- which caught many scientists off guard -- forced more than 30,000 people living along its fertile slopes to evacuate to cramped emergency shelters in nearby towns. (27 images)
Follow The Frame on Twitter at sacbee_theframe
Mount Sinabung spews volcanic materials into the sky as seen from Tanah Karo, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Friday, Sept. 3, 2010. AP / str
A local official distributes masks to bus passengers in Tanah Karo district in North Sumatra province on September 7, 2010 to protect them from volcanic ash following the latest eruption of Mount Sinabung. AFP/ Getty Images / Sutanta Aditya
Villagers ride their motorcycles on a road covered with ash from Mount Sinabung eruption in Tanah Karo, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2010. AP / Binsar Bakkara
Indonesian women wash their clothes on a small river with Mount Sinabung in the background in Tanah Karo, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2010. AP / Binsar Bakkara
Residents watch Mount Sinabung erupting, from a village in Tanah Karo in North Sumatra province during sundown on September 3, 2010. AFP/ Getty Images / Sutanta Aditya
A villager who fled her home on the slope of erupting Mount Sinabung reads a magazine at a temporary shelter in Tanah Karo, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Friday, Sept. 3, 2010. AP / Binsar Bakkara
Villagers who flee their homes on the slope of erupting Mount Sinabung rest at a temporary shelter in Tanah Karo, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Friday, Sept. 3, 2010. AP / Binsar Bakkara
Residents evacuate with their belongings from their village in Tanah Karo in North Sumatra province on September 3, 2010 after Mount Sinabung unleashed its most violent eruption in 400 years, sending a tower of ash into the sky but failing to budge a handful of stoic villagers who live on its slopes. AFP/ Getty Images / Sutanta Aditya
Children wearing protective masks against vocanic ash prepare to be evacuated from their village in Tanah Karo in North Sumatra province on September 3, 2010. AFP/ Getty Images / Sutanta Aditya
A flock of pigeons fly near the cloud covered crater of Mount Sinabung, seen from Tanah Karo district on September 3, 2010. AFP/ Getty Images / Sutanta Aditya
Villagers stand outside their homes as they prepare to evacuate their homes following a fresh eruption of Mount Sinabung in Tanah Karo, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Friday, Sept. 3, 2010. AP / Roy Pohan
Photo taken on September 2, 2010 shows thick smoke spewing from the summit of Mount Sinabung seen from Tanah Karo in North Sumatra. AFP/ Getty Images / Bay Ismoyo
Indonesian farmers return to their farms in a village in Tanah Karo district near Mount Sinabung, partly covered by cloud in the background, on September 2, 2010. AFP/ Getty Images / Sutanta Aditya
Villagers work in their field as Mount Sinabung is seen in the background in Tanah Karo, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010. AP / Binsar Bakkara
A girl eats breakfast at a temporary shelter in Tanah Karo, North Sumatra on September 2, 2010 during the eruption of Mount Sinabung. AFP/ Getty Images / Bay Ismoyo
Two villagers check a map showing a disaster area as Mount Sinabung begins its eruption in Tanah Karo, North Sumatra, on September 2, 2010. AFP/ Getty Images / Bay Ismoyo
Photo taken on September 2, 2010 shows thick smoke spewing from the summit of Mount Sinabung seen from Tanah Karo in North Sumatra. AFP/ Getty Images / Bay Ismoyo
Mount Sinabung spews clouds of hot ash and smoke in Tanah Karo, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010. AP / Achmad Ibrahim
Mount Sinabung spews clouds of hot ash and smoke in Tanah Karo, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010. AP / Achmad Ibrahim
Villagers see a Mount Sinabung spews clouds of hot ash and smoke in Tanah Karo, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010. AP / Achmad Ibrahim
A village is left abandoned after residents fled their homes as Mount Sinabung spews volcanic materials in Tanah Karo, North Sumatra, Indonesia,Wednesday, Sept 1, 2010. AP / Achmad Ibrahim
Villagers on trucks flee their homes as Mount Sinabung, background, spews volcanic materials in Tanah Karo, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010. AP / Binsar Bakkara
A farmer looks at his buffaloes as he sits on a truck near Mount Sinabung, background, in Tanah Karo, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010. AP / Achmad Ibrahim
Villagers return to their home in Sukanalu village, in Tanah Karo-North Sumatra on September 1, 2010 to get their belongings that were left behind when they were being evacuated as Mount Sinabung start to erupt. AFP/ Getty Images / Bay Ismoyo
Mount Sinabung spews clouds of hot ash and smoke in Tanah Karo, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010. AP / Binsar Bakkara
A farmer sprays pesticide in his farm near Mount Sinabung in Tanah Karo, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Wednesday, Sept 1, 2010. AP / Achmad Ibrahim
A villager wears a protective face mask as Mount Sinabung (background) spews thick smoke from its summit in Tanah Karo in North Sumatra on September 1, 2010. AFP/ Getty Images / Bay Ismoyo
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.