Thousands flee huge eruption

Thousands of residents have been evacuated after a volcano in central Indonesia erupted.

Red-hot lava cascaded down its slopes and towering clouds of hot ash and debris spiralled into the sky, causing planes to be diverted. One woman died of a heart attack in the chaos.

Mount Lokon - which has been rumbling for nearly a week, with locals being on high alert - unleashed three powerful blasts shaking those living along the mountainside from their sleep.

"This is the largest eruption I've ever experienced," said Nelson Uada, who was among 6,000 people crammed into schools, mosques and other emergency shelters. "It was very scary. Glowing lava flowed like flames in the darkness and it sounded like we were in a war."

More than 33,000 people live along the fertile slopes of Mount Lokon, but many of those within the danger zone had been relocated before the triple eruptions. Soldiers and police helped rescuers evacuate 5,000 others.