Indonesian volcano erupts, sparking evacuations

Indonesian villagers living in the shadow of one of the world's most active volcanoes fled to safety Friday as Mount Merapi erupted, sending a cascade of ash and smoke some 5,000 metres (16,400 feet) into the sky. The government ordered residents living within a five-kilometre (three-mile) radius of the crater on Java island to leave as ash covered surrounding communities and even reached parts of Yogyakarta, Indonesia's cultural capital some 30 kilometres away.
Officials have shuttered the city's international airport with two dozen flights cancelled following the eruption, which began around 7:30 am (1230 GMT).