Indonesian volcano critical phase not over: scientists

The risk of eruption at an Indonesian volcano on Java island has not passed and remains at high alert status, scientists said Saturday.

Volcanologist Agus Budianto said "tremors had calmed down from Mount Kelut since yesterday (Friday) but other indicators still show increasing magmatic pressure from the volcano`s belly."

Sensors sending real-time information from the mount`s peak showed increased temperatures at the crater, he told AFP.

Tremors rocked Mount Kelut, a 1,731-metre (5,712-foot) peak, for nearly an hour on Friday afternoon -- usually a precursor of an eruption -- said Kristanto, the top volcanologist at the monitoring station.

"Since midnight we detected three tremors with the longest being less than one minute, however the volcano is still on high alert," he told AFP from his base about 7.5 kilometres (4.5 miles) from the crater.

He said safety procedures have not been changed and that an area within a 10-kilometre radius from the crater should be vacated.

Geologists have said the eruption would be comprised of "heat clouds" consisting of searing gases and volcanic debris rushing down the slopes, similar to the most recent eruption in 1990 that left 34 dead.

Some 116,000 villagers have been evacuated from the fertile land around Kelut`s slopes, but many have defied local officials` orders to stay away and returned home to tend their farms and to protect against possible looting.

About to 130,000 people live in the 10-kilometre radius danger zone and a further 150,000 people live up to 30 kilometres from the crater.

"Not all of the residents have evacuated their homes. Most of them choose to return to their farms in the day and return to the shelters at night," government spokesman Kamtono told AFP.

Sugeng, who opted to stay in his village of Kampung Anyar within the danger zone, said there was no pressure for them to leave.

Some residents from neighbouring Sumberasri village complained that there were not enough tents, clean water facilities and food supplies for them after they evacuated their homes.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," where continental plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity. The archipelago nation is home to 129 active volcanoes, including 21 on Java alone.

sections: Nature & Health