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Death toll in Java volcano eruption rises to 25

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The death toll in a volcanic eruption of Mount Merapi in densely populated central Java reached 25 as five more people died from burns in hospitals, local media reported.

The death toll in a volcanic eruption of Mount Merapi in densely populated central Java reached 25 as five more people died from burns in hospitals, local media reported.

Eleven bodies remain unidentified in hospitals as they were burned beyond recognition.

Meanwhile, some 20,000 people from three administrative districts located near the volcano were evacuated and are currently in 29 temporary camps.

The status of Merapi was raised on September 21 from the second degree 'warning' to the third degree 'expectation,' and all events in the threatened area around the volcano were banned for safety reasons.

Meanwhile, off the coast of Sumatra, about 800 miles west of the volcano, rescuers battled rough seas to reach Indonesia's Mentawai islands, where a 10-foot tsunami triggered by an earthquake on Monday night swept away hundreds of homes, killing over 100 villagers.

Mount 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.

Most eruptions of Merapi involve a collapse of the lava dome creating lava flows which travel around 4 miles from the summit.

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 meters above sea level.

The worst eruption in 1930 killed around 1,300 people.

DJAKARTA, October 27 (RIA Novosti)

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