With Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland and Chile’s Puyehue-Cordon Caulle having both faded from the headlines in recent months, it is now Indonesia’s turn to experience its share of volcanic disruption.

Mount Lokon, on the Indonesian island Sulawesi, has begun to erupt, forcing thousands of local inhabitants to flee.

The eruption saw ash, sand and rocks thrown 1,500 metres into the air, government volcanologist Kristianto was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

However, there have been no reports of casualties on the ground.

The last month has seen a significant rise in volcanic activity in the area.

The alert status in Indonesia was raised to the highest level just days ago.

A 3.5 kilometre evacuation zone was established last weekend, within which around 28,000 people live. Approximately 4,400 of these inhabitants have been moved so far.