Airport shut as volcano erupts in Indonesia

An airport was forced to close in eastern Indonesia as Mount Gamalama volcano erupted on Wednesday, a disaster agency official said.

"Babullah airport in Ternate city is closed because of the volcanic ash," the official told Xinhua.

A 4.6-magnitude quake triggered the volcano to erupt, spewing a column of ash by up to 600 metres high, he said.

There was no evacuation so far, he said.

The volcanic ash in eastern part of Indonesia has often disturbed flight with route to Indonesia and Australia.

Mount Gamalama is one of Indonesia's 129 active volcanoes.

--IANS

py/