The deadly eruption that claimed 15 lives on Saturday has created an enormous crater that runs down the volcano. The crater is a constant way out for the boiling lava that flows through the volcano. 
Locals have been coming on a daily basis to view the non-stop spectacle. These two men told us they felt the earth shake beneath them and the noise was like a "gigantic bomb" going off. 
The volcano draws in local media and photographers all hoping to get the best shot or the chance at being there at the right time for the big one. 
Daily life continues even as Mt. Sinabung continues to erupt. People tell us they aren't afraid -- it's been happening for months and they need to continue to work to provide for their families. 
A banner shows the start of a 5 km exclusion zone around the volcano. Many people from villages closer to the summit continue to venture inside this zone. The 15 people killed on Saturday were from one of these villages. 
These villages have been covered in ash for months. When it rains, the ash turns to a thick coating of mud. 
These village houses aren't strong enough to hold the weight of the ash that's built up on roofs. Fortunately no one was injured when this house collapsed under the pressure. 
These two local men have made the best out of a worsening situation, setting up a water station in the middle of the road and selling water to anyone who comes past. Each bottle brings in around 75 cents. 
Desperate situations brings about desperate measures ... But another sale in the bag. 
The local media relays updates from the search parties. Providing constant news updates, they're a great source for getting early warnings out to those still lucky enough to have power. 
The military is helping to provide support in search and rescue operations. The police and the search and rescue department are also searching in this area of Indonesia. 
The Head of Search and Recuse for the North Sumutra providence Mr. Romali briefs his team before they head out on their daily search efforts. "We are screening and searching areas that we believe have victims," he tells us. "By using GPS, even if fresh ash falls, we will know where to come back to search for bodies." 
Ash is everywhere. Clothes, hair, cars and our equipment all fall to the curse of the ash. 
- Rescue workers call off search again, say disaster officials
- The eruptions Saturday sent plumes of billowing into the sky
- Hot ash up to 700 degrees raced down the mountain's slope in just a few minutes
Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN) -- Search and recovery teams have again halted their perilous task of looking for victims from the recent volcanic eruptions of Indonesia's Mount Sinabung, disaster officials said.
The death toll currently stands at 15 after plumes of ash 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, engulfing Sukameriah, a village close to the volcano's crater.
A funnel of smoke, visible from kilometers away, has continued to shoot up from the North Sumatra mountain, turning the sky above the color of murky gray ash.
Recovery teams -- a mixture of local rescue workers, military personnel and police -- ventured into the affected area Sunday and Monday, before calling off their search because conditions became unsafe.
The teams were conducting search operations within a 3-kilometer radius of the volcano, Taufik Kartiko, a disaster mitigation agency official, told CNN on Monday.
Indonesia volcano erupts 
The Sinabung volcano erupts and spews hot smoke in Karo, Indonesia, on November 10. 
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 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 Tungurahua volcano is seen on December 20, 2012. The volcano has been in eruption since 1999. 
The Copahue volcano emits smoke and she above Caviahue, in Neuquen province of Argentina on December 24, 2012. 
Western Mexico's Colima volcano in emits lava on October 2, 2004. The Global Volcanism Program reported "a bright thermal anomaly" as well as gas emission on November 9. Photos: Recently active volcanos All of the dead, and at least three injured people, were found in Sukameriah, authorities said over the weekend.
It was the first time Mount Sinabung's volcanic output had resulted in deaths, the Jakarta Post reported.
Active volcano
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 volcanic volatility has meant an itinerant existence for those who live in this region a 2½ 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 latest 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.
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.
READ: What you need to know about volcanoes
READ: Mount Sinabung eruption intensifies
WATCH: Live video of the volcano
Kathy Quiano reported from Jakarta, and Jethro Mullen wrote from Hong Kong. CNN's Paul Devitt and Mark Morgenstein contributed to this report.
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