Mount Merapi in Indonesia erupts for about two minutes, spewing a column of volcanic ash by up to 2,000 metres. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesia warned tourists and locals against approaching Mount Merapi after it briefly erupted in the early morning of February 13.
According tothe Indonesian Research and Technological Development for Geological DisasterAgency (BPPTKG), Mount Merapi erupted for about two minutes, starting at 5:16am(local time).
It spewed acolumn of volcanic ash by up to 2,000 metres, threatening the safety of thetourists and locals in the surrounding areas.
The mountain,which sits on the boundary between Central Java and Yogyakartaprovinces, has been activelately with the last eruption reported on January 4.
Although the eruption was brief, the giant ash column it sent into the air forced the BPPTKG to set the alert level at “waspada” (caution), thesecond-highest level on the country's four-tier system.
Indonesia, oneof the most disaster-prone nations on earth, straddles the Pacific "Ringof Fire", where tectonic plates collide and a large portion of the world’svolcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur.
In 2018, thecountry was hit by 11,577 earthquakes, leaving many people dead and homeless./.
VNA
