Indonesia’s Mount Merapi volcano unleashes hot ash, forcing hundreds to flee
- The volcano on Java island erupted multiple times and the rumbling sound could be heard several kilometres away
- Ash from the eruption blanketed several nearby villages and towns, forcing about 250 residents to flee to temporary shelters
The volcano on the densely populated island of Java unleashed clouds of hot ash at least seven times just before and after midnight and fast-moving pyroclastic flows, a mixture of rock, lava and gas, travelled up to 5 kilometres down its slopes, said National Disaster Mitigation Agency’s spokesperson Abdul Muhari in a statement. The rumbling sound could be heard several kilometres away.
He said 253 people were evacuated to temporary shelters in Glagaharjo and Umbulharjo villages in Yogyakarta special province and in Central Java’s Klaten district because of the dangers on Merapi.
Ash from the eruption blanketed several nearby villages and towns and no casualties were reported, Muhari said.
Residents living on Merapi’s fertile slopes were advised to stay 7 kilometres away from the crater’s mouth and should be aware of the danger posed by lava, Indonesia’s Geology and Volcanology Research Agency said.