Mount Tangkuban Perahu volcano – near Indonesia’s third-biggest city of Bandung – has erupted, sending ash several hundred meters into the air.
Officials have been forced to issue warnings, telling people to stay away after footage showed ash showering locals as they ran from the explosion.
More video footage showed the moment cars and motorbikes drove away from Tangkuban Parahu on roads covered by ash yesterday.
At least two people were taken to hospital suffering breathing difficulties.
An evacuation of the area was immediately put in place, although authorities say this was carried out swiftly as only 100 people were in the area at the time of the eruption.
The site is a popular tourist destination as you can hike or drive to the rim of this volcano’s crater.
Clouds of ash were high enough that authorities issued a flight alert for the surrounding area – although flights to nearby Bali were unaffected.
The Indonesian disaster mitigation agency said the tourism spot had been closed and the alert status of the volcano was being evaluated.
Indonesia is on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire and has scores of active volcanoes, sometimes posing a threat to life and disrupting air travel, particularly in the most heavily populated islands like Java and Bali.
