Mt Merapi Erupts, Indonesians Flee Volcano

Thousands of villagers flee slopeside towns after Mount Merapi volcano errupted in Indonesia yesterday. Authorities are working to evacuate the 11,000 people from villages along the slope.

The road leading out was clogged with motorcycles, cars and panicked villagers—all of them
desperate to escape Mount Merapi, the Indonesian volcano which erupted on Tuesday.

Falling ash and darkness complicated matters as authorities work to evacuate over 11,000 people from villages along the slope.

While there have been no glimpses of lava, three villagers have been burnt by hot air bursts.

Memories of the volcano's deadliness are still fresh for many. Seventy people were killed in 1994 when the volcano's dome collapsed.

Mount Merapi is the second volcano to erupt in Indonesia this month.

Indonesia has been besieged with natural disasters including earthquakes, flooding and a tsunami this week alone.