Volcano death toll hits 273 in Indonesia

Wed Nov 17, 2010

The death toll from Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano eruption has risen to 273 as rescue workers recover more bodies from the vicinity in central Java.

Hundreds of people have been displaced after Mount Merapi started its volcanic activities late October.

According to the country's officials, some 400,000 people are still living in temporary shelters.

Witnesses have reported that Merapi continues to shoot ashy, white smoke, causing hot ash rains in a region close to the volcano. Scientists said it could not be determined how long the volcano will continue its activity.

Merapi's eruption killed around 1,300 people in 1930 but experts have declared the current eruptions as the biggest since 1872.

The rising death toll comes as Indonesia is still dealing with the aftermath of a tsunami, which claimed hundreds of lives in 2003.

Much of Indonesia lies in the Pacific ring of fire, a seismically active area known for frequent quakes and volcanic eruptions.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://presstv.ir/detail/151388.html.