(Jakarta) Indonesia’s Merapi volcano, one of the most active in the world, continued to spit fumaroles and molten lava on Saturday after erupting the day before.
Images from the Merapi Volcano Observatory showed lava flowing from the crater and a large column of black smoke rising 1,300 meters high from its summit on Friday night.
On Saturday, the Merapi is still spitting hot ash and molten lava has been sighted.
In a statement, the national volcanological agency warned residents about thrown volcanic ash and lava flows, especially if it rains near the crater.
The Merapi had already erupted last week, expelling volcanic material up to 3000 meters above its summit. At least eight villages were affected by the ash fallout.
Volcanologists estimated last week that the volcano was going through its most active phase since 2021.
Merapi is placed at the second highest alert level since 2020, due to increased volcanic activity, as authorities have established a seven-kilometre restricted zone from the summit.
Merapi’s last major eruption was in 2010. It killed more than 300 people and caused the evacuation of some 280,000 residents.
It was the largest since that of 1930, when around 1,300 people died. In 1994, around 60 people lost their lives due to another eruption.
