10,000 flee Indonesia volcano

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JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- After surviving a catastrophic earthquake that killed more than 6,000 people, residents near Indonesia's Mount Merapi have been evacuated because of the volcano's increased activity, officials said.

At least 10,000 people were being evacuated from Magelang Province, the province's mayor said.

The evacuations were a precautionary measure based on the fact that emissions of hot ash from Merapi's dome were taking place more frequently than usual, the mayor said.

Merapi has not erupted, but if it were to, Magelang is at high risk for ash and lava flow.

The latest round of evacuations began Sunday, when the volcano showed signs of increased activity, with hot gases flowing 2 to 3 miles down its slope, officials said.

Last month, Indonesian authorities evacuated thousands of residents from near the volcano, warning a major eruption could be imminent.

Merapi, one of Indonesia's most dangerous and active volcanoes, has been rumbling for two months, but last month's heightened concerns were triggered by increased lava flow and a new lava dome, now about 4 million cubic meters in volume, forming at the peak.

Scientists have warned that, once the dome collapses, pyroclastic flows can ensue and last for weeks or months.

A pyroclastic flow is a ground-hugging avalanche of hot ash, pumice, rock fragments and volcanic gas that rushes down the side of a volcano at several hundred miles per hour.

Such an occurrence would make evacuations difficult, if not impossible, and officials have emphasized the importance of early evacuations.

The mountain is located in central Java province, east of Jakarta. Many nearby residents are farmers, some of whom are reluctant to leave their land.

Merapi has a peak of about 9,700 feet, or 2,900 meters. It has been active almost continuously for nearly a decade. A 1994 eruption claimed at least 66 lives, and a 1930 eruption killed more than 1,300 people, according to NASA's Earth Observatory Web site.

Merapi is located about 35 kilometers (19 miles) north of Yogyakarta, a city of about 500,000 people. The mountain's slopes are densely populated; the United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that as many as 80,000 people could be displaced if Merapi erupts, depending on the direction of lava flow.

On May 27, a magnitude 6.3 quake killed more than 6,200 people in central Java. The temblor's epicenter was located about 25 kilometers south-southwest of Yogyakarta, near the volcano. Scientists said earlier this week Merapi's lava dome has grown considerably since the earthquake.

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