Indonesia’s Mount Merapi, the nation’s most active volcano, erupted Friday, sending ash some five kilometers into the air.
The nation’s volcano observatory reports the eruption lasted about seven minutes and produced pyroclastic flows – a mixture of hot gas, lava and other volcanic material – that traveled up to two kilometers from the volcano’s crater. The observatory also reported ash fell from the eruption up to 20 kilometers away.
No warnings were issued but authorities advised residents not to approach within three kilometers of the volcano.
It was the Mt. Merapi’s second eruption this month. The first, on March 3, sent an ash cloud some six kilometers high, coating the city of Yogyakarta, 30 kilometers away and forcing an airport to close.
Mount Merapi's last major eruption in 2010 killed more than 300 people and forced the evacuation of 280,000 residents.