Jakarta, Aug 10 (IANS): Five people were killed as Mt. Rokatenda on Indonesia's Palue island erupted Saturday, officials said.
The volcano erupted at 04.27 a.m., spewing ash up to 2,000 metres high, said Surono, head of the country's volcanology agency.
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of the National Disaster Management Agency, confirmed that five people were killed by hot ash, reported Xinhua.
"Five people were confirmed dead. Three bodies have been found and the rest are being searched," Sutopo said.
Over 3,000 people were evacuated from the danger zone months ago, but some of them returned to their homes.