Smoke and ash rose above the crater. According to estimates from the Merapi Observatory, the ash cloud rose about 3,000 meters. Authorities have set up an exclusion zone within a radius of seven kilometers around the volcano and warned of lava. Tourism and mining in the area have been disrupted. According to the Indonesian civil protection authority, no injuries were initially reported.
Second highest alert level for Merapi since 2020
The second highest alert level has been in effect for Mount Merapi since November 2020. In March 2022, an eruption caused several local residents to flee. The last major eruption of Mount Merapi occurred in 2010. At that time, more than 300 people died and around 280,000 residents had to leave their homes. It was the deadliest eruption since 1930, when around 1,300 people died.
