Volcano Eruption On Indonesian Island Where Quake And Tsunami Claimed Over 1,300 Lives

Volcano erupts on Indonesian island that had earthquake and tsunami

A volcano has erupted on the same Indonesian island where an earthquake and tsunami claimed more than 1,300 lives last week.

Mount Soputan, located in North Sulawesi, erupted just before 9am on Wednesday local time with ash spewing up to 4,000 metres into the air.

'The ash column with strong pressure was observed to be gray to brown with thick intensity inclined towards west & northwest,' national disaster management agency BNPB Indonesia tweeted.

The BNPD says the current alert for Mount Soputan is a level three ' on the four-level national volcano warning scale, which means anyone within a 4km radius should remain indoors.

It also encouraged people to remain calm as the Mount Soputan observation post continues to monitor volcanic activity.

The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (CVGHM) also advised residents to refrain from entering the area around Mount Soputan.

Volcanic ash is drifting to the west and northwest.

The eruption comes just five days after a massive earthquake struck the island, triggering a tsunami and killing at least 1,300 people, while thousands more have been left homeless.

The devastating 7.5-magnitude quake struck central Sulawesi last Friday, which brought down hotels, shopping malls and countless houses in Palu.

Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is monitoring the situation.