DELI SERDANG, Indonesia, Nov. 25 (UPI) -- Eruptions of Indonesia's Mount Sinabung volcano forced the evacuation of 11,618 people and the cancellation of flights in an ash-filled sky, officials said.
Residents were evacuated from 19 villages, Susi Air canceled five flights from Kuala Namu International airport and Air Asia postponed a flight from Deli Serdang to Penang, Malaysia, The Jakarta Post reported.
"In the morning, all of our aircraft at Kuala Namu had been covered by ash," said Susi Air operations manager Hadi Zulfadli. "It is dangerous if we keep flying so we decided to temporarily halt our operations."
Indonesia raised its volcano alert level to red Sunday after Mount Sinabung erupted again, sending ash 4.9 miles into the sky.
The latest eruption led to the evacuation of people who were staying in 22 shelters, the Post said.
The report said health officials warned residents around the volcano to limit their outdoor activities and wear sunglasses and masks to protect against falling ashs.
