Mount Gamalama erupts in east Indonesia

Mount Gamalama volcano in eastern Indonesia erupted on Tuesday, spewing a column of ash by up to 1, 000 meters to the sky, official said.

Powerful burst of hot ash and lava have erupted from the rumbling volcano in Ternate of North Maluku province, triggering rain of ash in several villages, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of national disaster management agency.

The ash spread to the east of the volcano's crater, but it did not spark evacuation, he said.

Local officials distributed masks to nearby residents, and over 1,500 people were evacuated in July, Sutopo told Xinhua.

Mount Gamalama is among the 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia, an archipelago country with about 17,500 islands.