Thousands Flee From Spice Isle Eruption

A volcano eruption in eastern Indonesia has forced thousands of residents to flee the area to avoid choking smoke.

Mount Gamalama on the island of Ternate has spewed smoke and ash for days, but increased activity has forced the hurried evacuation of islanders.

Witnesses described how the peak of the volcano was shrouded with an ash cloud as lava flowed down the side.

Earlier, thousands of residents in Ternate, the provincial capital, flocked to a ship heading north to Bitung, North Sulawesi.

Indonesian officials said more than 1,200 people from villages on the slopes of mountain are now living in shelters.

"There were no reports of casualties or injuries but people did panic for a while, screaming as they ran out of their homes," scientist Darno Lamane said.

The city has been blanketed by smoke since Monday and the eruption sent an ash cloud more than 6,000ft into the air.

Heavy rain has turned ash into a slurry, washing debris into inhabited areas.

The 5,630ft volcano first erupted late on Sunday. Local authorities said Baabullah domestic airport in the city remains closed.

Ternate was one of the former Spice Islands, and villagers grow cloves on Mount Gamalama's foothills. It last erupted in 2003.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where continental plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity. The archipelago nation is home to 129 active volcanoes, including 21 on Java.

A 5.8-magnitude earthquake also struck off Indonesia's eastern Maluku islands on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said.