Indonesian authorities raised the alert for the volatile Mount Merapi volcano on the densely populated island of Java and ordered people within 3 kilometers to evacuate. Merapi has erupted four times since Monday, sending out a 3,500 meter column of volcanic material and dusting the surrounding region in ash. Authorities have handed out thousands of protective masks to people living in several villages in Kemalang district, Klaten, Central Java, after volcanic ash blanketed the area following a string of phreatic eruptions at Mount Merapi from Monday to early Tuesday. Previously on May 11, 160 mountain hikers were safely evacuated following the brief volcanic eruption of Mount Merapi.