Indonesia’s Marapi volcano erupts, spewing ash plumes and blanketing several villages with ash

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s Mount Marapi in West Sumatra province has erupted, spewing white-and-gray ash plumes for more than about 9,800 feet into the air and hot ash clouds blew several miles to the north, according to Indonesia’s Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center. There were no casualties Sunday, an official at the Marapi monitoring post said, adding that villagers were advised to stay about 2 miles from the crater’s mouth. A National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson said several villages were blanketed with falling ash that blocked out the sun in many areas. He added that Marapi’s eruption alert level was maintained at the second-highest level.