Indonesia's Merapi may come off top alert soon-expert

MOUNT MERAPI, Indonesia, June 12 (Reuters) Indonesia's Mount Merapi could be downgraded from its top alert status soon as the volcano has spewed less hot gas and molten lava in recent days, an expert said today.

Merapi -- in central Java near the ancient royal city of Yogyakarta, 440 km east of Jakarta -- is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the Pacific ''Ring of Fire''. It has been threatening a major eruption for weeks, forcing the evacuation of about 18,000 people from its slopes.

Some residents who had refused to move were spurred into action after an earthquake shook the Yogyakarta area on May 27, killing more than 5,700 people and intensifying Merapi's activity.

But after massive clouds and fresh lava flows late last week, Merapi was calm on Saturday and Sunday, said Triyani, from the state-run Centre for Vulcanological Research and Technology in Yogyakarta.

''Its status is in top alert still. Let's see in one to two days ahead whether it will be downgraded or not. I hope so,'' she told Reuters.

Experts feared that a lava dome, which has been building up since April as a result of activity, could collapse, generating clouds of gas and lava flows that could cause casualties.

But a partial degrading of the dome last week may have relieved enough pressure to reduce that danger.

''I don't know whether the critical circumstance has passed or not. Just wait to see whether the lava dome has settled in its position,'' Triyani said.

More than 60 people were killed when Merapi last erupted in 1994, while 1,300 people died in a 1930 eruption.

The smoke cloud decreased overnight on Sunday and there were fewer lava eruptions. Most villages located 7 km (4 miles) from the peak of Merapi have been considered within the danger zone under the top alert status.

While refugees continued to stay overnight in camps, some are still going to Merapi's slopes to feed their livestock every day, returning to the shelters in the afternoon in army trucks.

The rich volcanic soil around Merapi produces abundant grass which villagers feed to their dairy cattle.

Many residents in the area have held prayers and made special offerings to placate the angry mountain. Most Javanese, who make up the bulk of Indonesia's 220 million people, are Muslim, but many cling to a spiritual past and believe a supernatural kingdom exists on top of Merapi.

Despite the danger, some people have remained in their villages to look after their homes, cows and farms where they grow maize, red chillies and tomatoes.

Some said they would only leave if they saw what they regard as natural signs an eruption was imminent, such as lightning around the mountain's peak or animals moving down its slopes.

Reuters MA DS1145