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Java eruption forces evacuation of 200,000

As many as 200,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes in Indonesia after a volcano erupted in east Java.


Mount Kelud spewed ash and debris over a large area yesterday, including the city of Surabaya, about 80 miles away.


Three major airports in Surabaya, Solo and Yogyakarta were forced to shut down because of low visibility. There were also fears that debris could damage aircraft engines.


Some towns are reported to have been covered by a 1.6 inch layer of ash.


Officials raised the alert around an hour before the volcano erupted, and urged people living in 36 villages in a six mile radius around the volcano to evacuate.


The roofs of some houses reportedly collapsed under the debris and two people have died as a result of the eruption.


The volcano spewed ash and gravel that flew as far as 124 miles away, National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told the BBC.

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