Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images
About 6,000 residents within a two-mile radius are staying in temporary shelters as ash and sand rains on their homes and plantations.
An aesthetic byproduct of Sinabung's eruptions is this photo by Roni Bintang showing a hibiscus flower on an ash-covered plant in nearby Mardingding village:
REUTERS/Roni Bintang
Mount Sinabung is still active, and began spewing lava this week.