
© Caters News AgencyGerman photographer Martin Rietze, 50, captured the stunning photos while visiting the volatile Sinabung volcano in Indonesia
This is the jaw-dropping moment a
lightning storm erupted in an ash cloud as a notorious volcano spewed hot lava towards villages below.
Photographer Martin Rietze's stunning photos of the volatile Sinabung volcano in Indonesia are a fascinating display of the raw beauty and frightening power of planet Earth.
As the ash cloud billows into the night sky a
barrage of lightning bolts crackle from deep within it - creating a mesmerising scene that looks like the entrance to the underworld.
It is believed that the
collision of fine ash grains in the air creates huge amounts of static electricity, resulting in a spectacular electrical storm.

© Caters News AgencyAs the ash cloud billows into the night sky a barrage of lightning bolts crackle from deep within it, creating a fascinating scene
While it is an amazing display the 8,000ft volcano, in North Sumatra, has proven to be deadly since it
erupted in 2010 after being dormant for an estimated 400 years.
On this occasion some small villages were wiped out by the lava flow and many acres of farmland were buried by ash, the photographer said.
Known as a pyroclastic flow, the deadly mix of burning hot ash, gas and lava can quickly blanket large areas, exterminating anything and everything in its path.
Comment: Here are other occurrences and information about megacrymeteors in the news in recent years:
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Megacryometeor? Giant ice meteor slams to Earth near kids playing in Tennessee
Giant ice meteors fall from clear skies
Car-destroying chunk may be icy meteor