Marapi volcano on Sumatra island, Indonesia spews ash 3 km high

Indonesian officials said the Marapi volcano on Sumatra island erupted at around 2:54 p.m. The volcano is still spewing thick, gray ash to the east, according to Hendra Gunawan, head of the Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation.

Authorities have issued a level 3 volcanic alert on a four-level warning system and established a stay-at-home zone around the Merapi crater, meaning that communities living near the volcano and visitors are not allowed to enter an area within a 3-kilometer radius of the crater.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Rifandi, an expert at the Marapi volcano monitoring station, said the eruption caused ash rain, affecting the city of Bukittinggi, the third largest in West Sumatra, with a population of over 100,000. Rifandi recommended that people near the volcano wear hats, glasses and masks.

Mount Marapi, which rises 2,891 meters above sea level, is the most active volcano on the island of Sumatra. Indonesia lies on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" and is often subject to geological activity and volcanic eruptions. The country currently has nearly 130 active volcanoes. In May, Mount Merapi on the island of Java - the most active volcano in the country - erupted.