Indonesia's most volatile volcano erupted on Sunday. The eruption took place on the densely populated island of Java, spewing smoke and ash high into the air and sending streams of lava. Till now, no casualties have been reported.
Since Sunday morning, Mount Merapi unleashed clouds of hot ash at least seven times as well as a series of fast-moving pyroclastic flows. It also unleashed a mixture of rock, debris, lava, and gasses, said Hanik Humaida, who heads the city of Yogyakarta's Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center. The mountain has seen increased volcanic activity in recent weeks, sending rocks and ash flowing down the volcano's southwest flank, Humaida said. The ash from the eruption blanketed several villages and nearby towns while villagers living on Merapi's fertile slopes were advised to stay 5 kilometers away from the crater's mouth.
The latest eruption sent hot ash 1,000 meters into the sky, and the searing clouds of gas traveled up to 3 kilometers down its slopes several times. Mount Merapi is the most active of more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia and has repeatedly erupted with lava and gas clouds recently. The Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center did not raise Merapi's alert status, which already was at the second-highest of four levels since it began erupting last November.
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