Indonesian volcano unleashes river of lava in new eruption

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...