Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

'Dormant' Indonesian volcano erupts again

Updated at 9:52 pm on 3 September 2010

An Indonesian volcano that lay dormant for 400 years has erupted for the third time in less than a week, prompting the second evacuation of terrified residents.

A mushroom-shaped plume of smoke shot three kilometres into the air from Mt Sinabung, in an eruption three times stronger than the initial one recorded last Sunday.

A second eruption followed on Monday.

Some of about 30,000 people evacuated from mainly farming villages had begun to return to their villages, but again fled their homes overnight.

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