Indonesia’s Mount Merapi volcano erupted on Tuesday morning, sending a 6-km (3.7 mile) column of ash into the air and triggering the closure of the airport in the nearby city of Solo on the densely populated Java island, authorities said.
The volcano, located near the cities of Yogyakarta and Solo, is one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes and a series of eruptions in 2010 killed more than 350 people.
Indonesia’s Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation issued a red alert and said the ash cloud was moving north.
The international airport in Solo had been temporarily shut since 9.25 a.m local time (02:25 GMT), Indonesia’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said. Four flights had been affected.
Yogyakarta city centre is located about 30km from the volcano.
The international airport in Solo was shut at 9:25am (local time), Indonesia’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said. Four flights were affected.
Witnesses said the sound of the eruption was heard 30km away.
The agency did not raise the alert status of Merapi, which was already at the third-highest level due to its ongoing activity.
The 2,968-metre-high mountain is the most active of about 500 Indonesian volcanoes.
The volcano, located near the cities of Yogyakarta and Solo, has rumbled and generated dark hot clouds since last year.
epa08265925 Merapi volcano spews ash and smoke during an eruption as seen from Yogyakarta, Indonesia, 03 March 2020. The volcano erupted on 03 March spewing a 6000-meter column of smoke and ash into the sky. EPA-EFE/STR
epa08265924 A general view of cars covered with volcanic ash following the eruption of Mount Merapi at a parking lot in Boyolali, Central Java, Indonesia, 03 March 2020. The volcano erupted on 03 March spewing a 6000-meter column of smoke and ash into the sky. EPA-EFE/BOY TRIHARJANTO
epa08265822 An Indonesian man waits inside a car covered with volcanic ash following the eruption of Mount Merapi, in Boyolali, Central Java, Indonesia, 03 March 2020. The volcano erupted on 03 March spewing a 6000-meter column of smoke and ash into the sky. EPA-EFE/ALI LUTFI
epa08265823 Two girls wear protective masks as they walk on a street covered with volcanic ash following the eruption of Mount Merapi, in Boyolali, Central Java, Indonesia, 03 March 2020. The volcano erupted on 03 March spewing a 6000-meter column of smoke and ash into the sky. EPA-EFE/ALI LUTFI
