Yakarta, Indonesia
The Indonesian volcano Merapi, one of the most active in the world, erupted Wednesday, spewing out clouds of ash and smoke at least 30 times and sometimes as high as three kilometers, according to Geological Services of Indonesia.
Warning of the risk of rivers of lava, Authorities asked residents to respect a five-kilometer safety zone around the volcano, located near the seaside town of Yogyakarta, Indonesia’s cultural capital, on the island of Java.
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In recent days, the volcano has displaced rivers of glowing lava, but authorities have kept the warning below the maximum.
The last great eruption of the Merapi It dates back to 2010, when more than 300 people lost their lives and more than 280,000 had to be evacuated.
That was the most powerful eruption since the 1930s, killing about 1,300. In 1994, 60 people died in another explosion.
Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands and nearly 130 active volcanoes, often suffers from seismic and volcanic activity due to its location in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, where large tectonic plates collide.