Volcano sparks fears in Sumatra

A volcano on Sumatra island erupted on Tuesday sending hot ash into the air and forcing evacuation of hundreds of villagers, officials said....

A volcano on Sumatra island erupted on Tuesday sending hot ash into the air and forcing evacuation of hundreds of villagers, officials said.

The eruption was accompanied by a string of moderate earthquakes that rattled towns in Sumatra, which is still recovering from a massive December 26 quake and tsunami that killed nearly 130,000 people on its northern end.

Scientists have warned of increased seismic activity in Indonesia following the magnitude 9 quake in December as the plates that make up the earth’s crust adjust.

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Officials said hot ash and thick smoke spewed out of Mt. Talang, near Padang, 938 km northwest of Jakarta, near the epicentre of four moderate quakes on Tuesday.

An official in the nearby town of Solok said hundreds of villagers were evacuated so far.

‘‘Residents within the radius of 3-4 km have been evacuated to a sports stadium in a neighbouring town,’’ Elvi Sahlan, Solok deputy mayor said.

‘‘The quakes and aftershocks can accelerate volcanic activity…. The quakes don’t cause the eruption, but they add energy to it,’’ Budi Waluyo, chief officer at the meteorology and geophysics office in Jakarta, said.

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The volcanic activity and quakes sparked panic among residents of Padang, which was hit last Sunday by a quake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale.

Officials said of the quakes recorded on Tuesday, the biggest measured 5.8 on the Richter scale.