Sinabung lay dormant for centuries but became active again in 2010. Since September last year it has been periodically spewing massive clouds of gas and ash high into the atmosphere.
Debris from the 2,460 metre-high volcano has travelled several kilometres from its crater.
Thousands of hectares of farming land have been affected by the eruptions and more than 22,000 people have fled their homes and are being housed in temporary shelters, the National Disaster Management Agency said.
Sinabung is one of nearly 130 active volcanoes in Indonesia, a country that straddles the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire”.
A villager clears ash on the roof of his house with water during the eruption of Mount Sinabung at Kuta Rakyat village
Students wearing masks stand in front of their classroom after Mount Sinabung erupted in Karo district
A lizard looks on from a leaf covered with ash from the Mount Sinabung eruption at Beras Tepu village in Karo district
A child climbs onto a truck during an evacuation as ash from Mount Sinabung volcano hit Payung village in Karo
Chickens are seen in the midst of plants covered by ash from Mount Sinabung near Sigarang-Garang village
A villager riding a motorcycle covers his face with a plastic sheet to avoid ash from Mount Sinabung volcano at Tiga Pancur village in Karo district
A Public bus travels between trees covered by ash from Mount Sinabung volcano at Tiga Pancur village in Karo district
A villager carries her belongings during an evacuation after ash from Mount Sinabung volcano hit Payung village in Karo district
Dead chilli plants are pictured covered in ash from Mount Sinabung at Sibintun village in Karo district
An elderly couple wait for evacuation outside their house after ash from Mount Sinabung hit Payung village in Karo
A mother holds her son as they watch the eruption of Mount Sinabung at Berastepu village in Karo district, Indonesia’s North Sumatra province
A man looks at Mount Sinabung spewing ash from Jraya village in Karo district
