Marapi roars again: Indonesia’s volcano spits ash after deadly week

• The Marapi volcano in Indonesia erupts again.
• Ash clouds rise half a kilometer.
• The warning level remains the second-highest.

A week after eruptions claimed the lives of 23 climbers, Indonesia’s Marapi volcano erupted on Wednesday, shooting clouds of ash half a kilometer high into the sky, according to the nation’s volcanology agency.

One of the most active volcanoes on Sumatra Island, Marapi, is 2,891 meters (9,485 feet) high. On Wednesday morning, at approximately 6 a.m. local time (2300 GMT), the volcano erupted, and it did so again at noon, according to Hendra Gunawan, the head of Indonesia’s volcanology department.

He said that considering the previous activity, the eruption was not so big, but the volcano’s warning level was still at the second-highest.

As per footage obtained by the international news agency, people in the area could be seen going about their everyday lives while massive clouds of gray ash billowed from Marapi’s crater.

Following the most deadly eruption of the volcano since 1979, which claimed 60 lives, local officials prohibited visitors from ascending the peak last week.

Indonesia is situated on the edge of the “Pacific Ring of Fire,” a region of intense seismic activity that is supported by several tectonic plates.

With over 140 volcanoes, 8.6 million people live within 10 km (6.2 miles) of a volcano, making Indonesia the country with the highest population of people living close to a volcano worldwide.

Also Read

Indonesia volcano toll rises to 11 as search halted by renewed eruption

Eleven hikers were found dead after a volcano eruption in Indonesia. Three...