Mount Merapi: Scientist fears rain could worsen situation

If forecasts of rain on Wednesday and Thursday hold, millions of metric tons of built-up ash and rock fragments could be sent down Merapi's steep slopes in mudslides, a vulcanologist warned.

Photo: Mount Merapi: Scientist fears rain could worsen situation

Mount Merapi: Scientist fears rain could worsen situation

Meanwhile, avalanches of new debris tumbled 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles) down the flanks of the volatile mountain earlier Tuesday, said the government volcanologist, who used the single name Subandrio, the AP reports.

He said rain threatened to cause landslides in a government-designated no-go zone where many villagers are still tending crops and livestock, despite orders from authorities to evacuate. While several hundred farmers remained behind, thousands of other villagers were living in government shelters.

The powerful, fast-moving flows of volcanic debris are known by their Indonesian name Lahar.

Merapi has been at a state of high alert for seven weeks, though the status was dropped briefly earlier this month. Two people died when they sought shelter at an emergency bunker when hot gas traveled 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) down the mountain on Wednesday.