Indonesia: Villagers start returning to their homes despite danger of eruption

Indonesia: Villagers start returning to their homes despite danger of eruption

Thousands of people who had refused to heed evacuation orders fled, some jumping into rivers to escape the searing heat and others sprinting down the mountain or speeding off in cars and trucks.

The volcano appeared calmer Friday, with 63 lava bursts - some spilling 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) down the southwest side - and nine small gas clouds, said Heru Suparwoko from a local monitoring station.