Indonesian villagers evacuate before eruption

MORE than 100 villagers evacuated areas closest to Indonesia's rumbling Mount Merapi yesterday, bowing to days of pressure from officials who warned the volcano could erupt within the next two weeks.

Most of those abandoning villages near the 9,700-foot peak - women, children and the elderly - said they were doing so reluctantly. Hundreds more refused, pledging to hold out a little longer.

"I'm worried about what life will be like in a temporary shelter," said 44-year- old Sriyanti, as she headed with her young daughter to the town of Tanjung Muntilan, 12 miles from Merapi on Indonesia's Java island.

Smoke and lava have been spewing from the volcano and sensors within the crater have detected a rise in seismic movement in recent weeks, leading scientists to say a major eruption is imminent.

Merapi last erupted in 1994, sending out a searing cloud of gas that burned 60 people to death. About 1,300 people were killed when it erupted in 1930.

Merapi is 18 miles from Yogyakarta, a city of a million people, and 250 miles south-east of the capital Jakarta.

Many people living around Merapi and the other 129 active volcanos in Indonesia believe that spirits watch over the peak and will warn them when a major eruption is imminent.

Although most Indonesians are Muslim, many also worship ancient spirits.