Mount Merapi on Java erupts as a tsunami hits Sumatra

Indonesia's Mount Merapi erupted three times after scientists warned that pressure building beneath its dome could trigger the most powerful explosion in years.

A two-month-old baby reportedly died as panicked villagers fled the area.

The chief vulcanologist in the area said the eruption started just before dusk Tuesday. The volcano had rumbled and groaned for hours.

"There was a thunderous rumble that went on for ages, maybe 15 minutes," said a farmer who by nightfall had yet to abandon his home on the slopes. "Then huge plumes of hot ash started shooting up into the air"