Indonesia's Merapi throws out massive hot clouds

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia, June 8 (Reuters) Indonesia's restive Mount Merapi threw out massive clouds of smoke today, sparking panic among villagers living close to the volcano but the region's leader downplayed the danger.

Merapi, one of the most menacing volcanoes in the ''Pacific Ring of Fire'', has been spewing out hot gas and lava for weeks, but today's emissions stretched a bit further though they were still a few kilometres away from the closest village.

''There has been some panic over here. Those who live in the 7-km zone ran out in a rush,'' said Susilo Purwanto from the disaster management unit in Sleman regency on Merapi's southern foothill.

Authorities have placed the areas around the erratic volcano, which lies just north of the ancient royal capital of Yogyakarta, on red alert and most villages located 7 km from Merapi's peak are considered within the danger zone.

Merapi's activity increased following the May 27 earthquake which devastated large parts south and east of Yogyakarta, killing 5,782 people, and some experts said it's close to a big eruption.

But the governor of Yogyakarta province and the top Javanese royal, Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, said there was no reason for alarm.

''There's nothing to worry about,'' he told reporters.

''There have been eruptions, but so far from the report I received this morning the conditions remain as of yesterday.'' Vulcanologists said the increased emissions were not the massive eruption they have been expecting.

''This is not the major slide we are waiting for. We could not ascertain yet when the biggest hot cloud will appear. We cannot project the time,'' said Triyani from the state-run Centre for Vulcanological Research and Technology Development.

Experts say Merapi's eruption phase starts with the formation of domes from outpouring lava. If the lava dome collapses, hot clouds will begin cascading down the mountain slopes.

''An eruption is a chain of all those events. The most dangerous phase is after the destruction of the large lava dome,'' said Triyani.

''There are still so many old lava domes sitting up there,'' she added.

Around 8,000 villagers have been evacuated from the mountain's slopes so far, a government official told Reuters.

Mount Merapi, which killed more than 60 people in 1994 and 1,300 in a 1930 eruption, was placed on top alert status on May 13, prompting a wave of evacuation from the danger zone.

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