Indonesia Merapi Volcano Eruption... Access Restricted Within 7km

Volcanic Ash Eruption and Lava Flow

The Merapi volcano, the most active volcano in Indonesia, has erupted again. It is spewing volcanic ash and lava is flowing down.

The Indonesian National Disaster Management Authority (BNPB) announced on the 11th (local time) around noon that the Merapi volcano near Yogyakarta in Central Java erupted.

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

Volcanic ash soared up to 3 km high from the summit, and lava flowed down the slope up to 1.5 km.

Indonesian authorities have set a restricted zone within a 7 km radius from the crater to prevent people from approaching. There were no casualties from this eruption, but eight nearby villages were affected by the volcanic ash.

The surrounding area was blocked from sunlight all day due to volcanic ash and gases, and volcanic ash continued to fall in nearby villages.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Local media KompasTV reported breaking news showing houses and roads in villages near Merapi volcano covered entirely in white ash.

Merapi volcano, with an elevation of 2,968 meters, is located about 30 km from Yogyakarta, a cultural center and highland. It caused a major eruption in 1930, resulting in 1,300 casualties at that time. Another major eruption occurred in 2010, killing more than 350 people. Recently, it has frequently emitted volcanic ash and lava, with repeated landslides and earthquakes.

Indonesia, made up of over 17,000 islands, is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a tectonic belt known as the Circum-Pacific belt. It has more than 120 active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes, making natural disasters common.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.