Hundreds flee as Indonesian volcano roars back to life

A resident of Cangkringan district in Indonesia’s Central Java province wears a mask to protect himself against volcanic ash from Mount Merapi (background)  yesterday.

DPA/Jakarta

Hundreds of people living near Indonesia’s Mount Merapi fled yesterday after the volcano spewed ash 1,000 metres into the sky, a disaster management official said.

Authorities have not increased the alert level for the peak near the central Java town of Yogyakarta, and the activity was considered normal, said Sutopo Nugroho, spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency.  “Monitoring will be intensified but people are advised to stay calm while remaining on alert,” he said.

 Hundreds of villagers sought refuge at government offices in several districts surrounding the 2,930-metre volcano, he said.  Merapi is the most active of the country’s 127 non-dormant volcanoes.

 A series of eruptions at Merapi left more than 350 people dead and forced 300,000 people from their homes in 2010.