A mountain branded a “doomsday” volcano in Indonesia may be about to blow as hot smoke blankets the local area.
Indonesia’s Mount Merapi erupted Saturday with avalanches of searing gas clouds and lava, forcing authorities to halt tourism and mining activities on the slopes of the country’s most active volcano.
Merapi, on the densely populated island of Java, unleashed clouds of hot ash and a mixture of rock, lava and gas that traveled up to 4.3 miles down its slopes.
A column of hot clouds rose 328ft into the air, said the National Disaster Management Agency’s spokesperson Abdul Muhari.
The eruption throughout the day blocked out the sun and blanketed several villages with falling ash. No casualties have been reported.
Read more: ‘Ring of fire’ volcano about to blow as hot ‘Doomsday’ smoke and lava spews for miles