Updated

Mount Sinabung on the Indonesian island of Sumatra has blasted volcanic ash as high as 4.2 kilometers (2.6 miles), one of its biggest eruptions in the past several months of high activity.

Isya Nurrahmat Dana, an official at a volcano monitoring post in North Sumatra province, says at least 19 eruptions followed by lava falls were recorded by midday Wednesday.

Hot ash tumbled down the mountain's slopes as far as 4.5 kilometers (2.8 miles) east and southeast.

Media reports say students from an elementary school in Kuta Rakyat village were sent home as volcanic ash covering the village was considered dangerous. There are no reports of casualties.

The 2,460-meter (8,070-foot) high Sinabung burst back to life in 2010 after a long period of dormancy.