Yogyakarta (Indonesia): About 250 residents took shelter in temporary shelters after the Mount Merapi volcano erupted in Indonesia on Thursday, and volcanic ash covered nearby villages and cities. There is no news of any casualties.
National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said in a statement that lava erupted at least seven times from the volcano on the densely populated island of Java and spread over an area of up to five kilometers. The sound of the volcano erupting could be heard several kilometers away.
He said 253 people were evacuated to makeshift camps in Glagaharjo and Umbulharjo in Yogyakarta Special Province and Klaten District of Central Java. Muhari said that the ash emanating from the eruption of the volcano spread to many nearby villages and cities.
He said that at present there is no report of any casualty. Indonesia’s Geology and Volcanology Research Agency said residents living on Merapi have been advised to stay seven kilometers from the site and be aware of the danger posed by the lava. It is noteworthy that Mount Merapi is the most active volcano out of more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia.
