Indonesia's volcanic Mount Merapi, which was rumbling just a few weeks ago, spewed lava on Tuesday.

This heightened fears of an eruption just days after a devastating earthquake that struck nearby Yogyakarta.

Smoke was seen rising up to 900 metres into the air. The area remains on high alert for a possible eruption.

Merapi – which means mountain of fire – had calmed down for a few days, but seems to have been affected by Saturday's strong quake, which killed more than 5,400 people in central Java.

Photograph: Mike Clarke/AFP/Getty Images