Horror moment Indonesia’s Mount Merapi erupts on Java shooting a giant ash cloud into the sky

Indonesia’s Mount Merapi has erupted in spectacular fashion, spewing a giant ash cloud into the sky and closing down all mining and tourism.

The dramatic eruption on Saturday sent avalanches of lava and boiling gas clouds seven kilometres down the mountain’s slopes leading to the urgent shut-down orders.

The eruption sent hot clouds 100 metres into the air and the ash spewed out blocked out the sun and blanketed villages with debris.

Merapi is Indonesia’s most active volcano and is located on the heavily-populated island of Java.

With more than 151.6 million residents, Java is considered world’s most populated island. 

Indonesia’s Mount Merapi has erupted in spectacular fashion, spewing a giant ash cloud into the sky and closing down all mining and tourism

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The eruption sent hot clouds 100 metres into the air and the ash spewed out blocked out the sun and blanketed villages with debris

People living on Merapi’s slopes were told keep 7 kilometres away from the crater be aware of the huge dangers posed by lava flows.

Approximately a quarter of a million people live within 10 kilometres of the 2,968-metre mountain. 

Merapi is the most active of Indonesia’s 120 live volcanoes, repeatedly erupting recently with lava and dangerous gas clouds.

It’s last big eruption in 2010 killed 347 people and made 20,000 villagers homeless. 

The latest eruption is understood to be Merapi’s biggest lava flow since the alert level for the peak were raised in November 2020. 

No casualties have been reported yet.

More to come