Hundreds flee as Indonesian volcano erupts

Indonesia’s Mount Merapi volcano (Slamet Riyadi/AP)

Indonesia’s Mount Merapi volcano has spewed out hot clouds in eruptions that forced about 250 residents to flee to temporary shelters and left ash blanketing nearby villages and towns.

The volcano on the densely populated island of Java unleashed clouds of hot ash at least seven times just before and after midnight and fast-moving pyroclastic flows, a mixture of rock, lava and gas, travelled up to 3.1 miles down its slopes, said National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari.