Jakarta [Indonesia], March12: Some images broadcast by Kompas TV showed houses and roads covered in ash in a village near the volcano , on the island of Java, near Indonesia 's cultural capital Yogyakarta . The Merapi Volcano Observatory estimates the ash cloud to be as high as 3 km on the summit.
Officials said there were no immediate reports of casualties and that they had established a restricted area 7 kilometers from the crater following the eruption, which was recorded at 12:12 a.m. local time on March 11. direction).
A spokesman for Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency, Abdul Muhari, warned that "to anticipate the potential danger from the eruption of Mount Merapi, the public should stop all activities in the potentially hazardous area." ".
Mr Muhari also said that residents nearby should also anticipate "disruptions" from the ash and be aware of the potential dangers from volcanic mud flows, especially if it rains nearby.
At least eight villages near the volcano have been affected by volcanic ash, according to an official at one of the Merapi observatories.
In 2010, a massive eruption of Mount Merapi claimed the lives of more than 300 people and forced the evacuation of about 280,000 residents. It was Merapi's most powerful eruption since 1930, when about 1,300 people were killed.
Indonesia, a country of nearly 130 active volcanoes, lies on the Pacific " Ring of Fire ", where tectonic plates meet, causing high seismic and volcanic activity, according to AFP.
Source: ThanhNien Newspaper
