JAKARTA (XINHUA) - A column of thick ash was spewed 7km high into the sky from the crater of Mount Sinabung volcano on Sumatra Island of western Indonesia on Sunday (June 9), the country's national volcanology agency said.

The volcano began belching ash and smoke at 4.28pm Jakarta time, followed by a spread of hot ash to the southeast and south of the crater by up to 3.5km and 3km respectively, the agency said in a statement.

The agency, however, said there was so far no report of damages or casualties.

Mount Sinabung volcano is at the second highest alert level with no-go zone of 5km from the crater, it said.

Residents living near the flank of the volcano were urged to use masks when ash rains down, spokesman of national disaster management agency Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

Those living along the rivers upstream on the slope of the volcano were warned of cold lava floods during torrential rains, the spokesman told Xinhua in a text message.

Mount Sinabung, 2,475m high, is located in Karo district of North Sumatra province. In its eruption in 2014, 16 people were killed and thousands displaced.

Mount Sinabung is among 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia.