Mount Kelud spewed ash and debris² over a large area, including the city of Surabaya, about 130km away. 

 

Two people died after their houses collapsed³ under the weight of ash, officials said. Some towns were said to be covered by 4cm of ash. 

 

Three major airports in Surabaya, Solo and Yogyakarta were forced to shut down because of low visibility. 

 

There are also fears that debris could damage aircraft engines. 

 

Andi Wirson, general manager at the Yogyakarta airport, said: "The current conditions are that volcanic⁴ ash is now covering the runway, apron（围裙，停机坪） and tarmac（柏油路）. We have already measured the thickness of the volcanic ash, which is at 5cm on the runway and tarmac."

 

Officials raised an alert on Thursday around an hour before the volcano erupted, and urged around 200,000 people living in 36 villages in a 10km radius⁵ around the volcano to evacuate⁶. 

 

However, it is not clear if they have all left their homes. 

 

Many in Indonesia are quite used to volcanic eruptions⁷, and are reluctant to leave their homes and belongings⁸, correspondents say. 

 

Officials said two people died after their homes, which appeared to have weak structures, could not withstand the weight of gravel⁹ and ash, and caved in.

 

Some of the evacuees¹⁰ tried to visit their houses on Friday morning to gather clothing and valuables, but were forced to turn back by the continuous stream of volcanic ash and rocks from the volcano, AFP news agency reported.

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