Indonesia's most active volcano erupts, lava flows 1,600 meters down the slope

The most active volcano in Indonesia, Mount Merapi erupted on January 27 with a river of lava and searing gas flowing up to 1,600 metres down its slopes. As per reports, it was the biggest lava flow from the volcano since the authorities raised its danger level back in November, said Hanik Humaida, the head of Yogyakarta’s Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center. The Wednesday eruption came after authorities in November had evacuated at least 2,000 living on the mountain in Magelang and Sleman districts on Java Island but most had returned since. There were reportedly no new evacuations.

As per reports, following the morning rain, the ashfall from Mount Merapi turned into muck in several surrounding villages with the sound of the eruption audible to 38 kilometres away. Both the law enforcement officers and rescue officials told the miners to cease the work along the rivers but no was evacuated. After November, the alert was maintained at the second-highest level but the authorities reportedly told the people to stay away from the existing 5-kilometre danger zone around the crater with local administrations monitoring the situation. 

Image Credits: The Associated Press

Mount Merapi is a 2,968-meter volcano on the densely populated island of Java and lies near to the ancient city of Yogyakarta. The volcano’s last major eruption was in 2010 that killed at least 347 people and is the most active volcano among dozens of others present in Indonesia. 

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Indonesia is home to 130 active volcanoes

With a population of over 270 million, Indonesia is reportedly home to at least 130 active volcanoes because of its position on the ‘Ring of Fire’. The Ring of Fire is a belt of tectonic plate boundaries that circle the Pacific Ocean and are prone to frequent seismic activities. In 2018, a volcano in the strait between Java and Sumatra islands, Anak Krakatau erupted and caused an underwater landslide that later on unleashed a tsunami that killed hundreds of people. 

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