Ash and smoke from a volcanic eruption in Indonesia was spewed as high as 4km’s into the sky. The eruption on Sunday in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province forced almost 3 000 residents to flee.

Al Arabiya reports that Indonesia has more active volcanoes than any other country, at around 130, many of which show high levels of activity. However, according to Al Arabiya, it can be weeks or even months before an eruption.

Raditya Jati, a spokesman for Indonesia’s Disaster Mitigation Agency, said that the eruption from the Mount Ile Lewotolok volcano, caused people who lived near the volcano to panic. She said that while there had been no causalities, almost 3000 people had sought refuge.

Al Arabiya reports that Muhammad Ilham, a teenager who witnessed the eruption, said that residents nearby were “panicked and they’re still looking for refuge and in need of money right now.”

Indonesia’s Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Centre website read that the area near the volcano was likely to be overwhelmed with “hot clouds, lava stream, lava avalanche, and poisonous gas.”

Indonesia uses a four-tier alert system. The Mitigation Centre said that the grade of the volcano was raised to the second-highest level due to “increasing threats.”

Umm Muhammed Umar