These Photos Show Hot Clouds Covering The Sky After Indonesia's Most Active Volcano Erupted

Mount Merapi erupted Saturday, covering homes in the surrounding area in a layer of ash.

By
Julia Reinstein
by Julia Reinstein

BuzzFeed News Reporter

and
Maddie Abuyuan
by Maddie Abuyuan

BuzzFeed News Designer

A volcano erupted in Indonesia on Saturday, spewing lava and hot volcanic matter from the apex of Mount Merapi.

Gas and hot ash shot out of the volcano’s crater, forming massive clouds that rose over 300 feet into the air and darkened the sky over the island of Java.

an aerial view of a  village with one to two story houses, a colorful mosque, and fields of crops covered in white ash
Ulet Ifansasti / Getty Images

Houses are covered by ash after Mount Merapi erupted spewing volcanic materials at Stabelan village on March 11, 2023, in Boyolali, Central Java, Indonesia.

More than 150 million people live on Java. No deaths have been reported, the Associated Press reported officials saying. Homes in the surrounding villages have been covered in a layer of volcanic ash, and officials have ordered that mining and tourism activities be paused.

An official wearing a uniform of gray, navy, and red, helps a woman wearing a headdress with a child attached accross her back put on a blue mask
Ulet Ifansasti / Getty Images

Officers distribute masks to villagers in an area covered by ash after Mount Merapi erupted spewing volcanic materials at Stabelan village on March 11, 2023, in Boyolali, Central Java, Indonesia.

Standing nearly 10,000 feet tall, Mount Merapi is considered the most active volcano in Indonesia. In 2010, when the last major eruption occurred, more than 300 people were killed and thousands more lost their homes. 

Lava erupts from Mount Merapi, sliding down the side in a red blaze of sparks and smoke
Devi Rahman / AFP via Getty Images

Lava spews out of Mount Merapi, Indonesia's most active volcano, as seen from the Tunggularum village in Sleman, Yogyakarta, on March 13, 2023.

People stand in a road lines with greenery watching pillars of dark smoke obscure the sky
Devi Rahman / AFP via Getty Images

Thick smoke rises during an eruption from Mount Merapi, Indonesia's most active volcano, as seen from Tunggularum village in Sleman on March 11, 2023.

A man on a motorbike rides along a winding road in a residential area with houses covered in a blanket of volcanic ash
Xinhua News Agency / Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images

A man rides on a road in a residential area covered with volcanic materials after Mount Merapi erupted in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia, on March 11, 2023.

Mount Merapi continues to spew thick, billowing smoke and ash into the sky into the next day
Devi Rahman / AFP via Getty Images

Thick smoke rises during an eruption from Mount Merapi near the Kaliurang Selatan village in Srumbung, Magelang, Central Java, on March 12, 2023.

a split image of an aerial view of Stablen village covered in thick ash, the sky obscured in smoke on the left, on the right is an image of a two people on a motorcycle riding out of the village of stablan with Mount Merapi in the background
Ulet Ifansasti / Getty Images

A motorcyclist wearing a mask rides past an area covered by ash after Mount Merapi erupted, spewing volcanic materials near Stabelan village on March 11, 2023, in Boyolali, Central Java, Indonesia.

Bright red and dark green chilis are covered in ash as they grow from the vine
Xinhua News Agency / Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images

Plants are covered by volcanic materials after Mount Merapi erupted in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia, on March 11, 2023. 

A farmer wearing a blue mask picks tomatoes that are covered in ash
Devi Rahman / AFP via Getty Images

A farmer pics tomatoes covered with dust following an eruption of Mount Merapi in Boyolali, Central Java, on March 13, 2023.

Kaliurang village sitting at the base of Mount Merapi at night as the sun sets, lava pours out of the volcano
Devi Rahman / AFP via Getty Images

Lava spews out of Mount Merapi, Indonesia's most active volcano, as seen from the Kaliurang Selatan village in Srumbung, Magelang, Central Java, on March 12, 2023.

A man and a child sit on a motorcycle in a green field with Mount Merapi in the background spewing thick ash and smoke that darkens the sky
Devi Rahman / AFP via Getty Images

Thick smoke rises during an eruption from Mount Merapi, Indonesia's most active volcano, as seen from Tunggularum village in Sleman on March 11, 2023.

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