Indonesia’s Mount Merapi volcano erupts, spewing ash 6km into the air
- Towns located 10km away were affected by the eruption, and authorities have established a no-go zone with a 3km radius
- Mount Merapi’s last major eruption in 2010 killed more than 300 people and forced the evacuation of some 280,000 residents
Indonesia’s most active volcano Mount Merapi erupted on Tuesday, shooting a massive ash cloud some 6km in the air which coated nearby communities with grey dust and forced an airport closure.
Ash mixed with sand rained down on towns as far as 10km from the belching crater near Indonesia’s cultural capital Yogyakarta.
“There was a thundering noise for at least five minutes and I could see the ash clouds from my house,” said Jarmaji, a resident of Boyolali regency.
Authorities did not raise the rumbling volcano’s alert status, but they temporarily closed the international airport in Solo city – also known as Surakarta – some 40km away after the early morning eruption.
“We are coordinating with authorities to monitor the impact of the volcanic ash’s movement on flights,” said Handy Heryudhitiawan, a spokesman for the airport operator Angkasa Pura I.