Jakarta - A volcano eruption on Tuesday afternoon in Central Java, Indonesia which shot hot ash into the air has killed 17 people and injured at least 39 people.
Sixteen people were found dead in one area, and a baby died on the way to hospital, Yogyakarta Disaster and Mitigation Management Agency official Windu Wiryawan said from Yogyakarta.
Most of the victims' bodies have been severely burned and turned black, according to a local television report.
Wiryawan said that there were at least 39 people receiving treatment in hospitals for respiratory problems and injuries.
"Many trees fell after being hit by the hot ash, and this hampers the evacuation," he said.
Local authorities have ordered residents within 10km of the volcano to evacuate the area, said Wiryawan. "There have been more than 15 000 people taking shelters so far. They live in barracks, schools and makeshift tents," he said.
The 2 968m-high Mount Merapi erupted three times on Tuesday, with the first one recorded at 5:02pm Jakarta time.
An observer at the monitoring post for Mount Merapi in Sleman district of Yogyakarta, Heru Saparwoko, said on the phone that the situation was under close watch.
Local TV footage showed thousands of panicked residents fleeing the danger zone by cars or other vehicles to take shelter in areas far from the mountain.
There are still over 40 000 people near the mountain, local officials said.
The previous eruption of Mount Merapi in 2006 killed two people. A 1994 eruption claimed 60 lives. In 1930, a major eruption killed more than 1 000 people.
Indonesia lies in a quake-prone zone called the Pacific Ring of Fire, and the country now has 129 active volcanoes.
The volcano eruptions comes a day after the West Sumatra region of Indonesia was hit by a tsunami. The death had reached 112 people, while 109 others were still missing on Wednesday.
The tsunami hit two islands of Pagai Selatan Mentawai and Pagai Utara Mentawai in West Sumatra after the 7.2 magnitude quake.
Meanwhile, 579 houses are heavily damaged and 300 got mild damage.
