Evacuation warning over Indonesian volcano
Indonesia's most volatile volcano is becoming increasingly active and people have been warned to be ready for evacuation.
Mount Merapi, on Java, has been spewing red hot rocks and huge clouds of ash as far as four kilometers.
Authorities have ordered people living around the 9,737ft mountain to be prepared to leave at short notice.
The volcano is at its most active since it first showed signs of erupting almost two weeks ago, says volcanologist Suyono.
The mountain, about 250 miles east of Jakarta is off-limits to hikers and locals who earn a living digging mineral-rich sand on its fertile slopes.
There are 500 volcanoes in Indonesia, 129 of which are still active.
During a sudden, unexpected eruption by Merapi in 1994, a steam cloud flattened a nearby village and killed 60 people.
The mountain sits near the city of Yogyakarta, which has a population of about one million.
