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Trisnadi / AP
In this time-lapse photo, hot lava descends from Mount Merapi in Indonesia.
Indonesia’s most active volcano erupted Wednesday with a river of lava and scorching clouds of gas flowing 1500 meters down its slopes.
It was the largest lava flow from Mount Merapi since authorities raised its hazard level in November, said Hanik Humaida, director of the Yogyakarta Center for Geological Hazard Mitigation and Volcanology.
In November, authorities had evacuated nearly 2,000 people living on the mountain in the Magelang and Sleman districts on the island of Java, but most have since returned.
There has been no new evacuation.
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The alert remained at the second highest level and authorities told people to stay out of the 5 km danger zone around the crater as local administrations in Central Java and Yogyakarta provinces closely monitor the situation. .
Slamet Riyadi / AP
A volunteer monitors Mount Merapi during an eruption.
The 2,968 m volcano is located on the densely populated island of Java and near the ancient city of Yogyakarta.
It is the most active of dozens of volcanoes in Indonesia and has recently erupted repeatedly with clouds of lava and gas.
The last major Merapi eruption in 2010 killed 347 people.
Slamet Riyadi / AP
A hot cloud of volcanic materials runs down the slope of Mount Merapi on Wednesday.
Indonesia, an archipelago of 270 million people, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity because it lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a series of horseshoe-shaped seismic faults around the ocean.
