Indonesian volcano erupts again

JAKARTA - Indonesia’s Mount Merapi sent out new eruptions of hot ash Monday morning, sparking fresh panic among nearby villagers, officials and media reports said.

Rescue workers in Boyolali district, about 10 km from the 2,968-metre peak, were evacuating the area even as some villagers were returning from shelters to feed livestock or check on crops.

Local media described Monday’s eruption that began at 10.10 a.m. as the biggest since Mount Merapi entered its newest period of activity last week after four years of inactivity.

The volcano first erupted Tuesday, killing 38 people and injuring dozens of others, according to the National Disaster Management Agency.

Searing volcanic debris burned trees, crops and livestock and blanketed surrounding areas in grey ash.

The government ordered the evacuation of districts within a 10-km radius of the crater.

Merapi volcano is about 500 km south-east of Jakarta. Its deadliest eruption on record occurred in 1930 when 1,370 people were killed. At least 66 people were killed in a 1994 eruption and two people were killed in 2006.

Indonesia has the highest density of volcanoes in the world with about 500 in the 5,000-km-long archipelago nation. Nearly 130 are active, and 68 are listed as dangerous.