Surabaya - Volcanic rumblings have prompted authorities to bar visitors from one of Indonesia's most popular tourist spots after a nearby volcano erupted and killed two people, an official said on Saturday.
"Mount Ijen since Thursday has shown increasing activities so we decided to close the area for tourist visits," said M Z Hudiono, chief of the Alas Purwo national park that is home to the volcano and popular with Western tourists.
"There have been sulphuric rocks coming out of the edge of the crater and the fluid in it has turned from green to white and it has emitted hot foam. There are also increasing tremors."
Mount Ijen, which stands 2 377m high, is 900km east of Jakarta, and is a drive of about four hours distant from Mount Bromo, which erupted on June 8, killing an Indonesian and a Singaporean tourist.
Both volcanoes are in the crowded province of East Java.