Jakarta, Mar 15 (IANS): Mount Merapi, located on the border between the Indonesian province of Central Java and the Special Region of Yogyakarta, erupted twice, spewing smoke and ash.
The country's geological disaster institute BPPTKG in a written statement reported that the volcano spewed hot ash at 5.50 a.m. and 5.59 a.m. local time on Tuesday.
Authorities have told nearby residents to avoid the area within a seven-kilometre radius of the crater, Xinhua news agency reported.
The status of Mount Merapi, the most active of Indonesia's 130 volcanoes, has stayed unchanged at its second highest level since November 2020.
In 2010, its major eruption killed more than 300 people and displaced 20,000 residents.