Indonesia’s Merapi volcano spews clouds of ash up to 2,000 metres

By Mohd Iswandi Kasan Anuar

JAKARTA, Dec 2 (Bernama) -- Mount Merapi, located on the border of Central Java and Yogyakarta, emitted two clouds of volcanic ash on Friday night, resulting in ash rain in Boyolali and Magelang.

The clouds, reaching 2,000 metres, was spewed from the summit crater at 7.27 pm and later at 7.47 pm local time, according to the country’s volcano monitoring centre, PVMBG.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported light volcanic ash rain in the subdistrict villages of Selo, Boyolali, and Sawangan, Magelang.

Klakah village head Marwoto had verified the ash rain, assuring that the situation remained under control and was deemed safe.

“Yes, that’s accurate. Almost all hamlets in the village are affected, but the intensity of volcanic ash is thin,” he added.

In response, local authorities distributed face masks and instructed the Village Alert Team to be activated, conduct patrols, and stay on high alert.

Mount Merapi has experienced escalating volcanic activity since May 11, 2018, and has been on ‘Alert’ status since Nov 5, 2020.

-- BERNAMA