At least 14 people were killed yesterday after an Indonesian volcano that has been active for months erupted.

The eruption of Mount Sinabung, in north Sumatra, came a day after authorities allowed thousands of villagers who had been evacuated to return, saying activity was decreasing.

Among the dead were a TV journalist and four high-school students and their teacher who were visiting the mountain to see the eruptions up close, said National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.

The death toll is likely to rise as many people reported missing

At least three other people were injured, and authorities fear the death toll will rise.

Sinabung has been erupting for four months, sending lava and searing gas and rocks rolling down its southern slopes.

Authorities had evacuated more than 30,000 people, housing them in cramped tents, schools and public buildings.

Many have been desperate to return to check on homes and farms, presenting a dilemma for the government.

On Friday, authorities allowed nearly 14,000 people living outside a five-kilometre danger zone to return home after volcanic activity decreased.

On Saturday, a series of huge blasts and eruptions thundered from the 2,600-metre-high volcano, sending lava and pyroclastic flows up to 4.5 kilometres away, Nugroho said. Television footage showed villages, farms and trees around the volcano covered in thick gray ash.

Following the eruption, all those who had been allowed to return home on Friday were ordered back into evacuation centres.

“The death toll is likely to rise as many people are reported still missing and the darkness hampered our rescue,” said Lt. Col. Asep Sukarna, who led the operation to retrieve corpses three kilometres from the peak.