Mount Sinabung in Indonesia's North Sumatra province erupted on Monday, spewing a 5,000 metre-high column of ash to the sky. The 2,475 metre-high Mt. Sinabung is under an alert status, a local volcanology agency was quoted as saying by the Xinhua news agency.

In case of rains of ash, locals were expected to wear face masks outdoors to reduce health impacts, the agency said in a statement, adding that residents were also expected to keep unpolluted water and clean up their house roofs from thick volcanic ash to avoid possible collapses.