WATCH: Hot clouds emerge in Indonesia as Merapi volcano erupts

Jakarta: Indonesia’s Merapi volcano erupted on Saturday, spewing hot cloud up to seven kilometres, the country’s disaster management agency said in a statement.

The volcano located in Indonesia’s Yogyakarta special region erupted around 12 p.m local time (0500 GMT) and a lava flow of 1.5 km was observed, the local authority said.

Residents in the nearby community have been warned to stop any activities in the danger zones, range between three to seven kilometres radius from the crater, the statement said.

The 2,963 metre-high (9,721 feet) Merapi is one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes and was already on the country’s second-highest alert level.

Official at local monitoring post, Yulianto said no residents have been evacuated.

Kejadian luncuran awan panas G. Merapi siang ini Setu Legi, 11/03 pukul 12.12 WIB. Perkembangan masih dalam pantauan, utk warga dihimbau jauhi daerah bahaya dan ikuti arahan petugas keselamatan.