MOUNT MERAPI, Indonesia — Indonesia’s Mount Merapi erupted Saturday with avalanches of searing gas clouds and lava, forcing authorities to halt tourism and mining activities on the slopes of the country’s most active volcano.
Merapi, on the densely populated island of Java, unleashed clouds of hot ash and a mixture of rock, lava and gas that traveled up to 4.3 miles down its slopes. A column of hot clouds rose 100 yards into the air, National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said.
The eruption throughout the day blocked out the sun and blanketed several villages with falling ash. No casualties were reported.
SLAMET RIYADI
Men watch as Mount Merapi releases volcanic materials Saturday during an eruption in Sleman, Indonesia.
It was Merapi’s biggest lava flow since authorities raised the alert level to the second-highest in November 2020, said Hanik Humaida, the head of Yogyakarta’s Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center.
She said residents living on Merapi’s slopes were advised to stay 4.3 miles away from the crater’s mouth and be aware of the danger posed by lava.
Tourism and mining activities were halted.
The 9,737-foot mountain is about 18 miles from Yogyakarta, an ancient center of Javanese culture and the seat of royal dynasties for centuries. About a quarter million people live within 6 miles of the volcano.
Merapi is the most active of more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia and repeatedly erupted with lava and gas clouds recently. Its last major eruption in 2010 killed 347 people and displaced 20,000 villagers.
Indonesia, an archipelago of 270 million people, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity because it sits along the “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines around the Pacific Ocean.
An eruption in December 2021 of Mount Semeru, the highest volcano on Java island, left 48 people dead and 36 missing.
-
Morning headlines
ASSOCIATED PRESS
On March 11, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Lend-Lease Bill, providing war supplies to countries fighting the Axis.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
On March 11, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Lend-Lease Bill, providing war supplies to countries fighting the Axis.
-
Morning headlines
Herbert K. White
In 1954, the U.S. Army charged that Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy, R-Wis., and his subcommittee’s chief counsel, Roy Cohn, had exerted pressure to obtain favored treatment for Pvt. G. David Schine, a former consultant to the subcommittee.
Herbert K. White
In 1954, the U.S. Army charged that Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy, R-Wis., and his subcommittee’s chief counsel, Roy Cohn, had exerted pressure to obtain favored treatment for Pvt. G. David Schine, a former consultant to the subcommittee.
-
-
Morning headlines
Anonymous
In 1985, Mikhail S. Gorbachev was chosen to succeed the late Konstantin U. Chernenko as general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party.
Anonymous
In 1985, Mikhail S. Gorbachev was chosen to succeed the late Konstantin U. Chernenko as general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party.
-
Morning headlines
David Richard
In 1997, rock star Paul McCartney was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
-
-
Morning headlines
Rainer Klostermeier
In 2006, former Serb leader Slobodan Milosevic (sloh-BOH’-dahn mee-LOH’-shuh-vich) was found dead of a heart attack in his prison cell in the Netherlands, abruptly ending his four-year U.N. war crimes trial; he was 64.
Rainer Klostermeier
In 2006, former Serb leader Slobodan Milosevic (sloh-BOH’-dahn mee-LOH’-shuh-vich) was found dead of a heart attack in his prison cell in the Netherlands, abruptly ending his four-year U.N. war crimes trial; he was 64.
-
Morning headlines
Spc. Ryan Hallock
Ten years ago: Sixteen Afghan villagers — mostly women and children — were shot dead as they slept by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, who later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Spc. Ryan Hallock
Ten years ago: Sixteen Afghan villagers — mostly women and children — were shot dead as they slept by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, who later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
-
-
Morning headlines
Bebeto Matthews
Preet Bharara, an outspoken Manhattan federal prosecutor known for crusading against public corruption, announced on his personal Twitter account that he was fired after refusing a request to resign from Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who had asked that leftover appointees of former President Barack Obama leave.
Bebeto Matthews
Preet Bharara, an outspoken Manhattan federal prosecutor known for crusading against public corruption, announced on his personal Twitter account that he was fired after refusing a request to resign from Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who had asked that leftover appointees of former President Barack Obama leave.
-
Morning headlines
Rainer Klostermeier
Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was sentenced in New York to 23 years in prison for rape and sexual abuse.
Rainer Klostermeier
Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was sentenced in New York to 23 years in prison for rape and sexual abuse.
-
-
Morning headlines
Richard Drew
Uber and Lyft said they had teamed up to create a database of drivers ousted from their ride-hailing services for complaints about sexual assault and other crimes.
Richard Drew
Uber and Lyft said they had teamed up to create a database of drivers ousted from their ride-hailing services for complaints about sexual assault and other crimes.
