Mount Merapi is located about 35 kilometers north of the city of Yogyakarta. An ash plume emerged from the crater on Saturday.
The Mount Merapi volcano has erupted on the Indonesian island of Java. It is considered the most active volcano in the country. Around noon on Saturday (local time), a hot plume of ash escaped the crater for two minutes, the center for volcanology said. In Turgo, a village just five kilometers from the volcano, some residents have taken refuge, according to civil protection. There is still no evacuation order.
Merapi, over 2,900 meters high, is the so-called stratovolcano. When an eruption occurs, a dangerous mixture of dust, rock, lava and hot gas often rushes down the slopes. The mountain is about 35 kilometers north of the main city of Yogyakarta.
A severe eruption in 2010 killed more than 340 people and tens of thousands fled. Since the end of 2020, an increased alarm level has come back into effect. There are around 130 active volcanoes across Indonesia. The island nation sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area known for seismic tremors.
(APA)