Indonesia's Mount Merapi sent a river of lava down its slopes and searing gas clouds into the air during its latest eruption Wednesday as officials said that no casualties were reported.
The latest eruption caused the largest lava flow recorded since geologists raised the danger level around the active volcano in November.
The head of the Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center in Yogyakarta, Hanik Humaida, said that lava flowed more than 3,000 meters (3,280 yards) down the mountain. Humaida said that the sound of the eruption was audible for more than 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) away.
The eruption was followed by morning rain Thursday. The rain turned ash fall into heavy muck, which covered houses in several villages.
Since the volcano, Indonesia's most active, started to act up late last year, officials had ordered residents living near the mountain to evacuate.
Since November, more than 2,000 people have been evacuated, including those living in the Magelang and Sleman districts. Some of the residents have since returned despite repeated warnings from local government officials.
The latest eruption prompted officials to evacuate more than 150 people living within 5kms ( 3 miles) of the mountain. The alert level has been maintained at the second-highest level and officials have repeatedly told residents to stay out of the danger zone.
Indonesian authorities said Thursday that they are closely monitoring the volcano's activity. Residents living outside the danger zone have been told to prepare for an evacuation should the eruptions worsen. Flights passing through the area have also been rerouted, authorities said.
The last eruption occurred earlier this month, which prompted authorities to evacuate more than 500 people in the Magelang district.
Over the past few decades, Mount Merapi has erupted numerous times and has become the country's most active. In 2010, a huge eruption killed a total of 347 people.
The 2,968-meter high volcano sites on the densely populated island of Java. The Indonesian archipelago sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, which is a series of seismic fault lines that prone to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.
