Mount Sinabung roars again, a week after springing back to life

An Indonesian volcano that has been dormant for 400 years burst into life for the second time in a week yesterday, shooting hot ash more than 10,000ft into the air.

The force of Mount Sinabung's latest eruption - the strongest so far - could be felt five miles away. "This was a big one," said 37-year-old Anto Sembiring, still shaken after abandoning his coffee shop in the danger zone. "We all ran as fast as we could …Everyone was panicking."

Eruptions at the beginning of the week forced more than 30,000 people to flee to cramped conditions in nearby towns.

Wearing surgical masks to protect themselves from volcanic fumes, many have complained about poor sanitation and food shortages and having to sleep on hard, cold floors.

Mount Sinabung last erupted in 1600, and vulcanologists acknowledged they made no recent efforts to sample gases or look for signs of seismic activity.