Lava streams from Indonesia’s Mount Merapi in new eruption

By SLAMET RIYADI
Associated Press

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s most active volcano has erupted with its biggest lava flow in months on the densely populated island of Java. The eruption sent a river of lava and searing gas flowing more than 2 miles down Mount Merapi and rumbling could be heard miles away. Hot ash blew nearly 2,000 feet into the sky and fell on several towns. Evacuation orders have long been in place for communities nearest the volcano, and no casualties were reported. The lava dome below Merapi’s southwest rim partially collapsed in a morning eruption, and pyroclastic flows blasted down the volcano’s flank several times. The volcano is near Yogyakarta, an ancient city of several hundred thousand people in a large metro area.