Volcano sends ash 60,000 feet in air

• Mount Tavurvur spews a tower of ash 60,000 feet into the sky


• The volcano is situated near the township of Rabaul on the island of New Britain


• Tavurvur erupted in 1994 along with another nearby volcano, destroying Rabaul

(CNN) -- A volcano erupted in Papua New Guinea on Friday, spurting ash tens of thousands of feet into the sky.

The eruption of Mount Tavurvur on the island of New Britain began early Friday, said Craig Earl-Spurr, a meteorologist at the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Center in Australia.

The volcano spewed a thick tower of ash that reached as high as 60,000 feet above sea level.

Mount Tavurvur erupts Friday, August 29, in eastern Papua New Guinea, forcing the evacuation of local communities and international flights to be rerouted.

The Tungurahua volcano spews a column of ash as seen from Ambato, Ecuador, on April 4. The volcano emitted a 6-mile-high column of ash after a powerful, five-minute explosion that shot pyroclastic material onto its northern and northwestern flanks. The volcano has been active since 1999, with several major eruptions in that span.

A villager in Karo, North Sumatra, Indonesia, bathes in the river while Mount Sinabung erupts, spewing lava and giant clouds of ash on January 21. The volcano, which has been erupting since September, has driven tens of thousands of people from their homes.

Mount Etna spews lava during an eruption as seen from the Sicilian town of Acireale Saturday, November 16.

Lava from the Puu Oo cone of Kilauea Volcano reaches the Pacific Ocean on the southeastern coast of Hawaii Island, Hawaii, on Monday evening, January 7, 2013. Puu Oo has been erupting for more than 30 years. This eruption, on the volcano's east rift, began January 3, 1983.

Smoke and ash spew from Mount Sakurajima on October 7, 2013, in Kagoshima, Japan.

The Karymsky volcano erupts on January 2 in Kamchatka, Russia.

The Copahue volcano emits smoke and ash above Caviahue, in Argentina's Neuquen province, on December 24, 2012.

Western Mexico's Colima volcano emits lava on October 2, 2004. The Global Volcanism Program reported "a bright thermal anomaly" as well as gas emission on November 9, 2013.

Recently active volcanoes

Recently active volcanoes

Recently active volcanoes

Recently active volcanoes

Recently active volcanoes

Recently active volcanoes

Recently active volcanoes

Recently active volcanoes

Recently active volcanoes

Recently active volcanoes

#Tavurvur this AM, #Rabaul district affected so far, @BurnetInstitute staff all ok, hoping all closer got out #PNG. http://ift.tt/XZpzVv

— Shelley Hendel (@Shelleyjlh) August 29, 2014

Dramatic photos posted on social media showed Tavurvur belching fire and ash from across a bay. The volcano is situated only a few kilometers from the township of Rabaul.

In 1994, Tavurvur erupted at the same time as nearby Mount Vulcan, destroying Rabaul.

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