Indonesian volcano

Ash falling 500km from Java volcano

Volcanic ash from a volcanic eruption in Indonesia is covering towns and villages up to 500km away.

Radio NZ ,

15 February, 2014

Three people have been killed and up to 200,000 people ordered to evacuate following the eruption of Mt Kelud in eastern Java on Thursday night.

An elderly man and woman were crushed to death after their homes in the sub-district of Malang to cave in, and another elderly man died from inhaling the ash.

A villager in Blitar district said his home also collapsed after being hit with "rocks the size of fists".

"The whole place was shaking - it was like we were on a ship in high seas. We fled and could see lava in the distance flowing into a river," said Sunar, 60.

The ash has forced the closure of seven airports, including those in Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Solo, Semarang and Bandung, which serve international flights.

Yogyakarta airport general manager Andy Wirson said the ash is too thick for the airport to function.

National Disaster Mitigation Agency Spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said over 75,000 people were in temporary shelters.

Mount Kelud (1731 metres) is one of 130 active volcanoes in Indonesia. It last erupted in 1990. Another eruption in 1919 killed around 5000. About 10,000 died in a massive eruption in 1568.

Volcanic ash in Kediri in East Java after the eruption of Mt Kelud.

Photo: AFP

Airport personnel inspect an ash-covered plane at Yogyakarta airport, about 200km west of Mt Kelud.

Photo