Indonesia: Mount Merapi erupts, spews volcanic ash, lava

Indonesia's Mount Merapi which is known as one of the world's most active volcanoes, erupted on February 13 spewing molten red lava and clouds of grey ash 2,000 metres (6,500 feet) into the sky, as per the reports. The authorities did not raise any alerts after the early morning eruption but advised commercial planes to take caution in the area.

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Volcanic ash rained down on a 10-sq km area

The local residents were ordered to stay out of a three-kilometre no-go zone near Indonesia's cultural capital Yogyakarta. According to the Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Centre, the volcanic ash rained down on a 10-square kilometre area. 

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Meanwhile, onlookers took copious videos of the volcano erupting at Mount Tangkuban Perahu in Indonesia's Bandung on the afternoon of July 26, with the visuals taking over social media. The crater of the Mount Tangkuban Perahu is a popular tourist attraction but following the eruption, tourists are being kept away from the vicinity.

The volcanic ash ascended about 200m up from the peak of the mountain, the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) has said, according to foreign media reports. After the eruption, thick grey volcanic ash spread to the south and northeast. The volcano is about 30 kilometres north of Bandung, the capital of West Java province.

Indonesia is on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire and has scores of active volcanoes, which sometimes pose a threat to life and disrupt air travel, particularly on the most heavily populated islands of Java and Bali.

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