Indonesia volcano: Residents flee as Mt Semeru spews huge ash cloud

A volcano on the Indonesian island of Java is erupting, sending a vast plume of ash into the sky and blanketing nearby villages, reports say.

Residents near Mt Semeru in eastern Java have been fleeing and rescuers are travelling into the affected area.

Local news agency Antara said a thick rain of volcanic ash was blotting out the Sun in two local districts.

Meanwhile a monitoring body issued a warning to airlines of an ash cloud rising up to 15,000m (50,000 ft).

The volcano, which rises 3,676m above sea level, previously erupted in January.

The VAAC provides advice to the aviation industry about the location and movement of potentially hazardous volcanic ash.

Footage on social media showed residents running away as a giant ash cloud rose behind them.