Indonesia’s Mount Marapi erupts again, sparking village evacuations but no deaths

Indonesia’s Mount Marapi erupted again on Sunday, spewing smoke and ash high into the air.

No casualties were reported.

The Marapi Volcano Observation Post in the province of West Sumatra recorded an eruption with an ash column about 4,265ft (1,300m) high from its peak, followed by ash rain.

Sprays of ash from the eruption were seen blanketing roads and vehicles in nearby villages.

On Friday, authorities began evacuating nearby residents, with the closest village only about three miles (5km) from the active volcano.

On Wednesday, Indonesian authorities raised the volcano’s alert level from level two to level three, the second-highest threat level.

Marapi is known for sudden eruptions that are difficult to predict because they are not caused by a deep movement of magma, which sets off tremors that register on seismic monitors.

Its eruption in early December shot thick columns of ash nearly two miles (3km) high that killed 24 climbers and injured several others who were caught by surprise.

About 1,400 people live on the Marapi slopes in Rubai and Gobah Cumantiang.

Marapi has been active since an eruption in January last year, which also caused no casualties.

It is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, named for the arched shape of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.