Mount Merapi Erupts, Spewing Volcanic Ash

Mount Merapi, one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes, erupted on Friday, May 11, according to social media posts by the country’s National Disaster Management Authority.

The volcano erupted around 7:30 am, spewing volcanic ash and pyroclastic material, according to</a> the agency, known by its Indonesian initials BNPB.

A column of white smoke emerges from its crater, rising 18,045 feet (5,500 meters) into the sky.

The government has instructed people living in a three-mile radius around the volcano to evacuate, and 190 residents left the area on Friday morning</a>. Adisutjipto Airport in Yogyakarta was temporarily closed</a> due to the eruption.

Around 120 people climbed Merapi prior to the morning eruption, but were forced to descend to a safe place, BNPB spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said</a>.

The areas around Merapi, located on Indonesia’s most crowded island of Java, are heavily populated with farmers making a living off its fertile volcanic soil. The volcano’s last major eruption was in 2010, causing</a> 386 deaths and more than 300,000 evacuations. Credit: Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana (BNPB) via Storyful