"Insatiable" Java volcano erupts for third time

JAKARTA,.October 30. KAZINFORM Indonesia's Merapi volcano in densely populated central Java erupted early Saturday for the third time in a week, local media reported. Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.

Merapi is located about 20 miles north of the city of Yogyakarta, and thousands of people live on the flanks of the volcano, with villages as high as 1,700 m above sea level.

More than 50,000 people have been evacuated from the 10-kilometer exclusion zone around the volcano since Monday, but many of them return to their homes from time to time to check on livestock and property.

Merapi is one of the most active and dangerous volcanoes in Indonesia and has produced more lava flows than any other volcano in the world. It has been active for 10,000 years and has registered eruptions on average every four years.

The worst eruption in 1930 killed about 1,300 people. Kazinform cites RIA Novosti. See www.en.rian.ru for full version