Hargobinangun, Indonesia
- Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano erupted violently early Saturday, sparking chaos as people tried to scramble to safety, fearful of a repeat of this week's deadly explosions.
The loud blast at around 1am local time (1800 GMT Friday) sent soldiers and police posted near the volcano fleeing, along with hundreds of ordinary people, who quickly clogged roads with cars and motorcycles.
No one was known to have died in the actual eruption, but one person was killed after being hit by a truck during the chaotic evacuation, an AFP reporter at the scene said.
So far, 34 people have been confirmed dead as a direct result of the eruptions of the volcano earlier this week.
“There were no casualties or injured people due to the volcano's eruption,” Health Ministry crisis centre head Mudjiharto said.
Kris Budianto, 51, told AFP how he fell off his motorbike as he fled to safety.
“I was sleeping on the veranda when loud booms like thunder woke me up,” he said adding that he was guarding his village that night with 20 neighbours.
“I quickly took my motorbike and rushed down in panic to safety. But on the way down, I fell from my motorbike.”
He has facial wounds and his right arm is broken.
Thick ash has fallen as far as the main city Yogyakarta, about 26 kilometres south of Mount Merapi.
The city's airport was closed for about an hour on Saturday morning to allow workers to clear volcanic ash from the runway. - Sapa-AFP