Indonesia's Mt Merapi erupts, spewing ash 6km high

Mount Merapi spews volcanic materials during an eruption as seen from Sleman, Indonesia, on Sunday (June 21). The country's most volatile volcano spewed ash and hot gas in a massive column as high as 6km into the sky. Indonesia, an archipelago of 270 million people, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity. - AP

JAKARTA (AFP): Indonesia's Mount Merapi, one of the world's most active volcanoes, erupted twice on Sunday, sending clouds of grey ash 6,000 metres (6km) into the sky, the country's geological agency said.

The two eruptions lasted around seven minutes, according to the agency, and prompted local authorities to order residents to stay outside a three-kilometre no-go zone around the rumbling crater near Indonesia's cultural capital Yogyakarta.