10 injured as volcano erupts on Indonesia’s main Java island

Mount Sinabung spews volcanic ash into the air, as seen from Berastagi, North Sumatra, Indonesia. (AP)

JAKARTA: A volcano on Indonesia’s main island of Java that is popular with tourists erupted on Sunday, injuring 10 people, an official said.
Sileri Crater at Dieng Plateau spewed cold lava, mud and ash as high as 50 meters into the sky when it erupted, said National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.
He said the sudden eruption occurred at around 11:30 a.m., when there were about 17 visitors around the crater. Ten people were injured and were being treated at a hospital.
Soldiers and police officers were dispatched to the scene, while local residents and visitors were asked to evacuate the area in case of further eruptions, Nugroho said.
Sileri is the most active and dangerous among some 10 craters at Dieng Plateau. Its most recent eruption was in 2009, when it unleashed volcanic materials up to 200 meters high and triggered the creation of three new craters.
Dieng Plateau, located in the Central Java province district of Banjarnegara, is a popular tourist attraction because of its cool climate and ninth-century Hindu temples. It sits about 2,000 meters above sea level.
Some 142 people were reportedly asphyxiated in 1979 when the volcano spewed gases.