Jakarta , Indonesia ( CNN ) -- The 15 victims simply could n't outrun the searing debris that billowed out of Indonesia 's Mount Sinabung . Plumes of ash had spewed more than a mile into the sky Saturday and descended in superheated clouds . Scalding ash up to 700 degrees in temperature raced down the slope in just two to three minutes . By the end of several eruptions , at least 15 people had been killed , a government official told CNN . It was the first time Mount Sinabung 's volcanic output had resulted in deaths , the Jakarta Post reported . On Sunday , the sky above the North Sumatra mountain was still the color of murky gray ash , as shown on video from the Indonesia Geologic Agency . The victims , and at least three other injured people , were all found in Sukameriah , a village close to the volcano 's crater , disaster mitigation agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told CNN . What you need to know about volcanoes . Local search-and-rescue teams were scheduled to go on a recovery operation Sunday , he said . Eruptions at Mount Sinabung are becoming common . After about 400 years of minimal volcanic activity there , Sinabung erupted in 2010 . It has been emitting gas since September . The English-language Jakarta Post said while 31 people previously had died from eruption-related illnesses such as asthma and hypertension . The unpredictable volcanic volatility has meant an itinerant existence for those who live in this region a 2Â½ hour flight from Jakarta . Last month , intensifying volcanic activity forced 22,000 people into temporary camps , but more than half were allowed to return home on Friday . The newest volcanic activity has forced people to evacuate 16 villages , the Jakarta Post reported . At least 30,000 people have been temporarily housed at 42 evacuation centers , according to Billy Sumuan , the emergency response director in Indonesia for the humanitarian group World Vision . Saturday 's victims lived within a 3-kilometer radius of the volcano . Some were there checking on their homes or were there just to watch the eruptions , Nugroho said . Others were students and volunteers in the region to help its beleaguered people , Sumuan said . The government had issued the highest level of alert for the latest eruptions , and Sumuan noted that no one was supposed to go inside a 5-kilometer zone around the volcano . Live video of the volcano . Several government agencies and nongovernmental humanitarian groups were on the scene Sunday helping those affected , including World Vision , which Sumuan said was helping children with their trauma and hygiene . The government and local churches handed out masks to everyone to mitigate breathing problems , he said . Kathy Quiano wrote and reported on this story from Indonesia , Brian Walker reported from Atlanta , and Mark Morgenstein wrote and reported from Atlanta .
Hot air up to 700 degrees raced down the mountain 's slope in just a few minutes . Jakarta Post : This is the first time Mount Isa 's winds have resulted in deaths . A rescue operation was scheduled for Sunday .