Jakarta: The Ili Lewotolok volcano in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province erupted on Sunday, spewing a column of ash 4,000 metres to the sky, authorities said.

The ash column is thick and gray, moving to the east and the west, Xinhua news agency quoted the Agency for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation as saying in a statement.

Seismograph records showed that the eruption, which took place at around 10.45 a.m., occurred for 10 minutes, with a maximum amplitude of 35 mm.

The agency has recommended that residents or tourists should nt carry out any activity in the danger zone within a radius of two km from the summit.

The volcano with a height of 1,018 metres above sea level is now under alert status.