Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano erupted with clouds of hot gas and rained ash on surrounding areas today.
Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano erupted, raining hot ash on surrounding areas.
Grey ash covered crop fields and hundreds of rooftops in the area of Ketep, 10 kilometres from the base of the mountain, and many houses appeared deserted after residents evacuated.
Not everyone was gone, however. Some people cleaned ashes off their houses and others opened shops, while commercial mini-buses continued to run.
As ash rained down on villages around the mountain, schoolchildren hurried to class, covering their noses and mouths.
The head of the Merapi section at the Centre of Vulcanological Research and Technology in Yogyakarta warned that Merapi's eruption process could be gradual rather than a sudden burst, and that the massive eruption scientists fear had yet to come.
The top of Merapi was totally obscured by thick grey and white clouds, which trailed down the volcano's slopes.