Published on : Friday, February 14, 2014
A volcano erupted late on Thursday night on the heavily populated Indonesian island of Java triggering the evacuation of more than 100,000 people and the closure of three international airports. Two people were crushed to death after the volcanic eruption blanketed rooftops with rocks and ash, causing homes to cave in, an official said Friday.
Airlines in neighboring countries including Australia said they were cancelling flights to the affected areas and destinations further afield such as Bali, Christmas Island and the Cocos due to the dangers to aviation from the volcanic ash cloud.
Three major airports in Surabaya, Solo and Yogyakarta were forced to shut down because of low visibility.
The volcano last erupted in 1990, killing dozens of people. A powerful eruption in 1919 killed around 5,000 people.
An estimated 200,000 people live within a six-mile (10km) radius of Mt Kelud, one of nearly 130 active volcanoes in the world’s fourth most populous country. Many of the people who had evacuated were returning to their homes to clean up, authorities said.
At least 11 people were killed earler this month in the north of the island of Sumatra when Mount Sinabung erupted. The volcano has been spewing lava and ash for months, forcing thousands to flee the area and destroying crops.
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