Indonesia has been consumed by the wrath of Mother Nature and the power that she has unleashed on it as early as December 2004. But recently, a tsunami and a volcano have hit on opposite ends of the country, devastating the entire population. The latest tsunami, on October 25, has started a chain of events so destructive that it has killed nearly 500 people in the past two weeks.

Mount Merapi has had a series of eruptions since October 26, with each getting more powerful than the last. Indonesia’s government has widened the danger zone from 10 kilometers to 15 with the latest and strongest eruption yet this past Wednesday. The eruption lasted more than an hour and shot searing ash miles into the sky.

“This is an extraordinary eruption, triple from the first eruption,” said government volcanologist Surono. Massive clouds spilled from the glowing cauldron and billowed into the air, continuing for nearly three hours after the blast. Debris and ash cascaded nearly four miles down the southeastern slopes. Since the 38 deaths, the 2,914-meter-tall mountain’s status has risen to “crisis” condition said Andi Arief, a special staff at the presidential office dealing with disaster and social assistance.

The volcano and tsunami that hit another part of the country last week have claimed nearly 470 lives and sent tens of thousands crowding into emergency shelters. Relief operations are expected to take weeks, even possibly months.

Indonesia is prone to earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcano explosions because it sits upon the Pacific “Ring of Fire” fault line, which is why Mount Merapi has been active over the past century. This time, the volcano is not holding back its wrath for anyone or anything in its path, as the death and injury toll keep rising.