Volcanic eruption in Indonesia closes 3 airports

14 February 2014

Volcanic ash from a major eruption in Indonesia shrouded a large swath of the country’s most densely populated island on Friday and closed three nearby international airports. Local media reported two people were killed when parts of their homes collapsed after Mount Kelud’s explosive eruption overnight. The initial blasts sent millions of cubic meters of dust and rocks into the atmosphere, according to the country’s disaster agency, and could be heard up to 200 km away. Ash up to 2.5 cm deep covered Surabaya, the country’s second-largest city, and even farther afield in Jogyakarta, where motorists switched on headlights in daylight.—AP