Indonesia volcano erupts; 76,000 evacuated, most of Java's airports shut

A housing complex is seen covered with ash from Mount Kelud, in Yogyakarta February 14, 2014. REUTERS/Dwi Oblo

JAKARTA (Reuters) - More than 76,000 people fled their homes and flights were grounded across most of Indonesia's densely populated island of Java on Friday after a volcanic eruption sent a huge plume of ash and sand 17 km (10 miles) into the air.

The ash cloud from Thursday night's eruption of Mount Kelud in the province of East Java moved west over the island, forcing the closure of seven airports and stranding thousands of passengers. The only major airports still operating on Java were two in the capital, Jakarta.