Seismologists issued a red alert on October 16 of an imminent eruption on East Java. Since Thursday scientists recorded 599 shallow tremors rocking the mountain's slopes, which indicated that magma pressure was increasing.
Local residents in a 10-km (6.2-mile) zone around the volcano's crater are refusing to leave citing the need to watch their homes and livestock, with many believing that if they keep quiet the volcano will not erupt.
In an attempt to try and encourage them to safety the government has set up outdoor cinemas and invited Indonesian pop stars to perform concerts, but locals have shrugged off warnings of a possible disaster.
Mount Kelut is 1,731 meters (5,679 feet) high and is known for eruptions throughout its history with the deadliest of them claiming more than 5,000 lives in 1919. The volcano killed 30 people when it erupted in 1990.
