Indonesia volcano belches ash tower 2km into the sky
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Mount Merapi has been at the second-highest alert level of the country’s four-tiered system for weeks.
PHOTO: AFP
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BUKIT TINGGI, Indonesia – A volcano in western Indonesia erupted on May 30, spewing an ash cloud into the sky as the authorities warned residents over potential dangers from cold lava flows.
Mount Merapi in West Sumatra province erupted at 1.04pm (2.04pm in Singapore), spewing thick grey clouds of ash 2km above its peak, the national disaster mitigation agency, or BNPB, said in a statement.
The volcano – one of Indonesia’s most active – has been at the second-highest alert level of the country’s four-tiered system for weeks, with the authorities advising people to stay outside a 4.5km exclusion zone around its crater.
Local residents are advised to be vigilant over threats of cold lava flows following the eruption, BNPB spokesman Abdul Muhari said.
“People are urged to stay away from river areas that originate from the Merapi volcano and be on alert to the potential dangers of lahar that could occur, particularly when it rains,” he said.
Cold lava, also known in Indonesia as lahar, is a mixture of volcanic materials such as ash, sand and pebbles carried down a volcano’s slopes by rain.
Heavy rains in May caused volcanic debris to flow into districts near Merapi,
In the event of ash falls, residents should wear face masks to prevent respiratory problems and clear volcanic ash from the roofs of their houses to prevent collapses, geological agency head Muhammad Wafid said in a statement on May 30.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”.
In December, Merapi erupted and spewed an ash tower 3km into the sky.
At least 24 climbers, most of them university students, died in the eruption.
