VIDEO: Mount Sinabung volcano erupts in Indonesia

According to him, the eruption is considered large because the ash column reached 3,500 meters. The ash spread within a radius of up to 20 kilometers to the east and southeast. Prior to the eruption, 85 volcanic earthquakes were recorded, significantly more than in previous days.

The monitoring post warned residents and tourists that larger aftershocks and new eruptions could follow. "The Sinabung eruption is just the beginning. Looking at the increased earthquake activity, a larger eruption could occur," Putra said. He added that people should not operate within a 6-kilometer radius in the south and east sectors of the volcano, and residents living along rivers must be mindful of the danger of lahars, or volcanic mudflows.

Lieutenant Colonel Robert Panjaitan, commander of the Sinabung operational unit, urged people living on the slopes of the volcano and tourists not to enter danger zones, as new eruptions and pyroclastic clouds are possible.

On August 19, authorities in the Karo Regency already closed Lake Lau Kawar and its surrounding camping areas in Kuta Gugung village indefinitely. The 2,460-meter-high Sinabung had been dormant for about 400 years before its 2010 eruption. In July 2021, the volcano spewed ash 4,500 meters high, affecting at least five districts.