Indonesia's most active volcano erupted Wednesday with a river of lava and searing gas clouds flowing 1,500 meters (4,900 feet) down its slopes. It was the Mount Merapi's longest lava flow since authorities raised the volatile volcano's danger level in November, said Hanik Humaida, the head of Yogyakarta's Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center. The alert level was being maintained for now at the second-highest level, she said, and people should stay out of the existing 5-kilometer (3-mile) danger zone around the crater as the local administrations in Central Java and Yogyakarta provinces closely monitor the situation. The 2,968-meter (9,737-foot) volcano is on the densely populated island of Java and near the ancient city of Yogyakarta. It is the most active of dozens of Indonesian volcanoes and has repeatedly erupted with lava and gas clouds recently. Merapi's last major eruption in 2010 killed 347 people. Indonesia, an archipelago of 270 million people, is prone to
The report said Patel later appeared to have dropped the plan
There were 14 patients being cared for at four hospitals around New Zealand, 10 of whom remained in critical condition, local media reported
At least 12 of the 18 fatalities were Australians, while another three were US citizens living in Australia
Of the 47 people on the island -- a popular tourist attraction -- when the explosion took place, the death toll stands at 17 including the missing pair.
Among those on the island during the cataclysm were tourists from Australia, the United States, Britain, China and Malaysia, as well as their New Zealand guides.
Police said the site was still too dangerous hours later for rescuers to search for the missing
Our study re-analysed the large series of radiocarbon dates for the Taupo eruption and found that the oldest dates were closest to the volcano vent.