Indonesian authorities today told residents near erupting Mount Sinabung to evacuate their homes as the Sumatran volcano continued to shoot hot gas into the air.

The National Disaster Management Agency ordered residents of 17 villages in Karo district in North Sumatra province to leave and seek refuge in shelters.

The vulcanology office raised the alert yesterday to one notch below the highest level after it erupted nine times at the weekend.

The eruptions forced thousands of people to flee their homes, raising the number of displaced people to more than 15,000.

Today, the volcano spewed gas and ash up to three kilometres into the sky, said agency spokesperson Sutopo Nugroho.

There have been no reports of fatalities since the volcano began its latest activity in September.

Mount Sinabung had been dormant for 400 years before it erupted in August 2010.

There are nearly 130 active volcanoes across the Indonesian archipelago.

- dpa