Gunung Merapi Rumbles: Yogyakarta, Central Java, Indonesia

I received a text message from Candika yesterday afternoon at 1300 hrs and it simply said 'Bloody ground moving and big voice from Merapi'. I knew straight away what she meant.

The earthquake was minor and only registered 4.0 on the Richter Scale but the rumbling noises from Gunung Merapi and the rain of heavy ash frightened residents living on the slope, 15,000 of them, to abandon their houses and seek safer areas. Hot clouds billowed down the slope of Gunung Merapi over a distance of five kilometres in the direction of the upper reach of Gendol River burning down the northern part of the Kaliadem forest area which is in the district of Sleman, Yogyakarta.

This powerful explosion was only one of several in the last week. Some scientists say the powerful May 27th earthquake that killed more than 5,700 people in an area just 25 miles south of Gunung Merapi may have contributed to the volcano's volatility in recent weeks. The rumbling mountain's lava dome has swelled raising concerns that it could suddenly collapse and send scalding clouds of fast-moving gas, lava and rocks into areas that have yet to be evacuated. And, numerous people left their villages in the Magelang district on the west side of the mountain.

The government raised Merapi's alert to the highest level three weeks ago and started evacuating thousands of people living within four miles of the crater to government shelters, schools and camps. Some people refused orders to leave however saying they wanted to tend to their livestock and crops on the volcano's fertile slopes.

Stubborn villagers have been quoted as saying that the latest burst would not scare them off.