Media center
Mount Merapi spews hot clouds during an eruption Monday near the tourist destination city Yogyakarta, Java Island, Indonesia. Early Monday Mount Merapi erupted spewing clouds of volcanic gases, ash and dust that reach temperatures up to 430 degrees Fahrenheit. Scientists fear Mount Merapi -about 280 miles of Jakarta - will erupt massively soon when the new lava dome that has been forming rapidly at its peak collapses. Indonesia government raised the alert status of Merapi on Saturday to the highest level after the 9,560-foot volcano shows extraordinary activity. It triggered the evacuation of thousands of people from its fertile slopes. The last eruption, in 1994, left 66 dead, while the 1930 eruption killed 1,300 people.
© 2010 The Seattle Times Company
