Indonesias Merapi volcano erupts, spews hot cloud up to 7km high

JAKARTA Indonesias Merapi volcano erupted on Saturday, spewing hot cloud up to 7km high, the countrys disaster management agency said in a statement.

The volcano, located in Indonesias Yogyakarta special region, erupted around noon (1pm in Singapore). A lava flow of 1.5km was observed, the local authority said.

Residents in the nearby community have been warned to stop any activities inside danger zones, a range of between 3km and 7km from the crater, the statement said.

The 2,963m-high Merapi is one of Indonesias most active volcanoes and was already on the countrys second-highest alert level.

An official at a local monitoring post, Mr Yulianto, said no residents have been evacuated yet.

This has only been observed as a one-time event. There have been five to six avalanches. If the coverage continues to increase and the distance is farther than 7km, it is likely that the residents will be recommended to evacuate, he said.

Located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, Indonesia has more volcanoes than any other country. Merapi last violently erupted in 2010, killing more than 350 people. REUTERS More On This Topic Hawaii's Kilauea volcano eruption resumes, alert level raised: USGS Indonesia's Merapi spews out volcanic lava and ash, hundreds evacuate