International - Globescan   

Volcano activity increases

JAKARTA: Indonesia's Merapi volcano spewed gas clouds and ash rain with thundering sound just before dawn on Monday, but there is no confirmation that a major eruption has occurred. The 2,968-metre mountain also spewed fresh lava to a distance of 2.5 km on its slope, reported the Detikcom news website. Heru Suparogo, from a monitoring station in the southern Java town of Yogyakarta, was quoted as saying that hot clouds flew down to a resort hill about 5 km from Merapi's top. Local residents said they heard several blasts when the volcano sent lava flows. Merapi last erupted in 1994, sending lava and hot clouds that killed some 70 persons. Its known worst eruption came in 1930 in which 1,300 persons were killed. — Xinhua

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