Indonesia's Mount Merapi erupts

Indonesia's Mount Merapi experienced a volcanic eruption on March 11th, emitting hot ash, lava, and gas. The event caused avalanches of gas clouds and lava, which traveled up to 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) down the volcano's slopes. Due to the eruption, authorities suspended tourism and mining activities on the mountain. Falling ash covered several nearby villages, blocking out the sun for the entire day. Fortunately, there were no reported casualties. The eruption marked Merapi's most significant lava flow since November 2020 when authorities raised the alert level to the second-highest. Hanik Humaida, the head of Yogyakarta's Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center, provided this information.