Indonesia’s Marapi volcano erupts, spewing ash and hot clouds

One of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes has erupted, spewing thick columns of ash at least three times and blanketing villages with debris, but no casualties were reported. Mount Marapi, in the province of West Sumatra, is known for sudden eruptions that are difficult to predict. It unleashed hot ash clouds Sunday that spread for several miles, covering nearby villages and towns with thick volcanic residue, according to an official with Indonesia’s Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center at the Marapi monitoring post. It also shot ash columns as high as 6,560 feet.